Yet another report has claimed that AC Milan are on course for big changes in the summer transfer window, including the sale of three stars.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes this morning, Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao are experiencing their most complicated moment since they arrived at Milan, which has impacted the club’s fortunes overall.
Milan are out of the Champions League and seventh in the league, the kind of results that cause the seed of doubt spread not only among the fans, but also within the club. The directors are asking themselves, is it worth continuing together? Those in favour of ‘no’ are growing strongly.
A season of struggle
Stefano Pioli talked about in a recent interview how much Theo and Leao were able to impact, positively or negatively, the outcome of a match. This was certainly true during the 2021-22 Scudetto win and the run to the semi-finals of the Champions League the next season.
The problem is that in 2024-25 the matches in which the contribution of the left-sided duo was deficient far exceed those where they played like stars. Maignan meanwhile has had a big dip in form, making several previously uncharacteristic errors.
One of the hallmarks of Paulo Fonseca and now Sergio Conceiçao’s Milan sides is that they were betrayed by at least one of their stars. Whether it was Maignan letting an easy goal in, Theo’s madness or Leao’s constant apathy.
The last time the three lived up to their talent together? We need to go back to January 6th. Hernandez started the comeback against Inter with a great free kick, Maignan blocked Dumfries shot at 2-2, then Rafa set up Tammy Abraham for the winner. Result? A trophy.
The two roads
There are two roads. The first: find a way to get Maignan, Theo and Leao consistently back to the level of the title-winning season. It is easier said than done, at least seeing the failed attempts of Fonseca and Conceiçao so far.
The two Portuguese coaches reserved Pioli’s direction by being quite tough with the two outfield players in particular, yet it does not seem to have boosted consistency. It must also be noted that even towards then end of Pioli’s tenure Theo and Leao were faltering a bit too.
The second path is to sell the stars. It will be a painful decision given what they have brought and the level everyone knows they are capable of, but there are economic factors too. Maignan and Hernandez, for example, have contracts expiring in 2026.
For the goalkeeper, an extension agreement was found some time ago (€5m net per year until 2029, with the option for a further season together), but it is still not a guarantee that he will remain at Milan 100%.
For Theo, the negotiation for the renewal has instead stalled due to the horror performances of the Frenchman and it is unlikely that he will restart. Leao has a long contract (expires in 2028) and a €175m clause that is unlikely to be paid by anyone, but the club could accept less.
