‘Several problems with Milan’ – Retegui lifts lid on choosing Saudi move

Mateo Retegui has revealed that he put talks with AC Milan to one side in order to join Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia.

Milan were linked with a number of different strikers during the summer window, but the one that made a lot of fans dream was the Capocannoniere winner Retegui, who seemed destined to leave Atalanta after just one full season.

In the end the Italian headed for the Middle East, and he spoke to Al Arabiya to reveal a bit of the background to his failed move to the Rossoneri. His comments were relayed by MilanNews.

Why you choose Al-Qadsiah and reject Milan?

“I chose Al-Qadsiah thanks to the Saudi club’s coach. There were several problems with Milan during the negotiations.”

Could qualifying for the 2026 World Cup be the best response to Italian Federation President Gravina, who criticised your move to Saudi Arabia?

“I respect the opinion of Gravina, the president of the Italian Federation. I have a good relationship with him. However, I don’t want to discuss this issue; my statements could be distorted.”

Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images

Fabrizio Romano’s words

Fabrizio Romano spoke in a YouTube video recently and he confirmed that Milan were in talks to sign Retegui, but were never going to offer the same financial package as the Saudi club.

“In June, Igli Tare made several inquiries about bringing Mateo Retegui to Milan, but at different prices, the Rossoneri would never have paid €66-70m,” he stated.

“We were talking about different figures, around €35-40m with bonuses. Atalanta never opened up and waited for Saudi Arabia. Milan, however, had some thoughts about it.

“Retegui isn’t considering a January departure from Al-Qadisiya. The striker will still consider Serie A in the future, I can assure you. The meeting with Milan didn’t work out for several reasons.”