When stubbornness meets media cat and mouse: How the Jashari saga descended into farce

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We have passed the point of ‘saga’ with the Ardon Jashari situation, and we are now entering the realm of a full-blown soap opera.

After a fortnight of negotiations between the clubs, reports on Monday suggested there should be a response from Club Brugge to the Milan’s latest offer for Jashari by the end of Tuesday at the latest.

Said response did not come, leading to a bit of tension within the walls of Casa Milan. Matteo Moretto and Fabrizio Romano even stated that the directors are irritated by being made to wait 10 days for a reply, and now things have boiled over. So, how did we get to this point?

Media war begins

Milan’s sporting director Igli Tare spoke at the presentation of the head coach Allegri at Casa Milan on Monday afternoon to officially introduce the 2025-26 season. As part of it, he was asked for an update on Jashari.

“I can tell you that the boy wants to play for us, but we have to respect the dynamics and choices of Brugge. We believe we have made the right offer and I hope that this story can end in the best possible way,” he said.

What was going through Tare’s head when he said that, only he knows. Was it an honest response to an honest question, or more of a trojan horse, a provocation to try and finally get Brugge to make a decision on the offer?

Ardon Jashari #30 of Club Brugge KVPhoto by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

Even from a Milan perspective, it is quite easy to see how Brugge might be annoyed about one of their players being spoken about in public. Not only that, but Tare confirmed that he doesn’t want to be there any more, which certainly will not have gone down well.

The response did come on Thursday morning, and via the Belgian media. The club’s CEO Bob Madou spoke to Het Laatste Nieuws and Het Nieuwsblad, clarifying the club’s position.

“We sat down to talk with AC Milan out of courtesy. And without talking about money (smiling). Everyone knows what Ardon did, but for us this isn’t the end of a cycle,” he said (via MilanNews).

“I’m not saying we won’t make exceptions, but at the moment there’s no offer on the table that makes me think we should. We’re assuming he’ll stay.”

Their director of football Dévy Rigaux then spoke too, pretty much reaffirming that – in their eyes – the acceptable offer that Milan think they have made is not quite viewed the same by Brugge.

“If the moment comes when a player is truly at the end of his time, and a top club makes a suitable offer, then the transfer can happen. Maxim De Cuyper is a good example. If Jashari stays here for another year, it won’t be just Milan, but several other important clubs that will come forward.”

The Madou-Rigaux duo were at it again on Thursday evening, as they were collared by Italian journalists coming out of the Inter headquarters, where they had been negotiating to sign Aleksandr Stankovic.

The full video of the exchange is worth watching as it was bizarre and cringe-worthy. The highlight of it is probably when – after repeatedly stating that their principle is not to discuss transfer business – one journalist calls out the hypocrisy after they spoke to the media this morning.

At the end of the clip the Brugge CEO asks if there is anywhere around to get a drink, to which a reporter says he can recommend a place in exchange for some information, which was declined. The whole thing was quite tense, with an under-current of petulance from all involved.

🗣 Club Brugge CEO: “We will not comment on any transfers.”

🗣 Reporter: “But this morning, you commented. Your interview?”

👀🤐pic.twitter.com/jZRDgqndFH

— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) July 10, 2025

A wall between two sides

For the record, Milan’s offer is €32.5m as the fixed amount plus €5.5m in bonuses for a total of €38m. Crucially, these bonuses are a mix between some which are easy to achieve and some which are more difficult, so we are talking about a guarantee of around €35m, give or take.

Just like previous proposals, it clearly doesn’t satisfy Brugge, who are asking for €40m and not a cent less. The reliable journalist Matteo Moretto seemed to outline what the crux of the negotiation was/is pretty perfectly.

“You always have to consider that a club like Brugge doesn’t care about bonuses – unless they’re really easy to achieve. The fixed base is what matters. Reaching €40m [even with easy bonuses] is unthinkable for Milan,” he said.

Milan, therefore, have made their final offer. And for those questioning why the Belgian side are unwilling to satisfy the player by letting him leave for a bit below their asking price, their summer mercato so far offers important context.

Firstly, the club have already cashed in with two sales worth over €20m each: Maxim De Cuyper to Brighton and Chemsdine Talbi to Sunderland. Added to this are Ferran Jutglà to Celta Vigo and Casper Nielsen to Standard Liège, meaning total of €45m has been earned.

Secondly, Brugge – having realised Jashari’s quality instantly – renewed his contract last January, securing greater bargaining power. His deal runs until 2029, and the Belgians believe there’s no rush to wait another year to sell him for an even higher price, finding clubs willing to pay right away.

Thirdly, there is the Champions League factor. Brugge must start from the qualifying rounds in August and have no intention of losing their best player and the league MVP unless it’s for an outrageous sum.

So, an immovable force seems to have met an unstoppable object, with the player caught between the two sides having his arms pulled like a tug of war. It is not too dissimilar to the Charles De Ketelaere situation three years ago.

Jashari TarePhotos – © Marco Rosi / Fotonotizia | Club Brugge

What happens now?

Like the De Ketelaere pursuit – which also turned into a farce – Milan now have a couple of avenues to go down in the next few days, aware that the time is ticking and the team leave for a preseason tour in less than a fortnight.

The first port of call is the most safe, and that is to quickly pursue other targets in the meantime. By doing so, they could secure an alternative like Javi Guerra or even Granit Xhaka in quick time, or they may even get Brugge to crack as they see a potential club-record sale slip away.

The second option is more risky, and that is to call the bluff of the Blauw-Zwart. Milan could sit firm, pointing to their offer on the table, glancing towards a player that has even skipped the start of training because of his desire to join, and waiting to see if Brugge buckle.

We await the next chapter of the telenovela hoping that it will be the decisive one, if Thursday’s events were not enough. It might provide a proof of sorts to Milan though: next time Club Brugge have a player of desire, think twice before picking up the phone.

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