‘Out of respect’ – Thiago Silva’s agent rules out January Milan switch but offers future hope

The agent of Thiago Silva has effectively ruled out any chances of the defender rejoining AC Milan in the January window.

Monday’s edition of the newspaper La Repubblica broke the sensational news that Milan are giving serious thought to the idea of bringing Thiago Silva back to the club in January, 13 years after he departed for Paris Saint-Germain to end his first spell.

The central defender arrived from Fluminese back in 2009 and he became a fan-favourite during his three years at San Siro. He would go on to play for PSG and Chelsea after Milan before ending up back in Brazil, but talk of a potential romantic return to the Rossoneri has never truly gone away.

A matter of ‘respect’

The Brazilian’s agent, Paulo Tonietto, has now clarified exactly what his client intends to do. He effectively ruled out any possibility of the switch happening in the winter mercato, because of his contract situation with his current club.

Photos: Claudio Villa + Alex Grimm/Getty Images

“Thiago has a contract with Fluminense that is valid until the end of the 2025-2026 season and he intends to honour it fully, out of respect for the agreements made with the club. For the future, never say never? Of course, but not now,” he told MilanPress.

Milan will have to look elsewhere in their pursuit of an experienced central defender who can bolster a young department featuring Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter and David Odogu.