With Victor Boniface arriving as potentially the last signing, the final part of the summer window could be dedicated to departures.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the second half of the month – which is also the final stretch of the summer transfer window – there will be particular attention paid to outgoing players, as the only incoming box left to tick should soon be ticked.
The goal? To reach a 23-man squad (with acceptable variables at 22 and 24), including three goalkeepers. At this very moment, the group actually consists of 23 players, with two mitigating factors.
The first is that some of them are effectively on the market, and the second is that three others are officially listed outside the squad, meaning they aren’t on the official list on the club’s website. These are indeed outside the plans, and the management plan to offload them.
Yacine Adli: In the eyes of many fans, Milan’s treatment of him was unfair, but the club’s decision was final. Adli is not part of the project, a fact he was informed immediately, and has been added to the Futuro squad to allow him to train while he waits to find a place.
Adli, therefore, is under Oddo’s orders, awaiting further developments. So far, the Frenchman has not responded to various suitors: there have been inquiries from Saudi Arabia, France, and even Sassuolo. It’s conceivable that the midfielder will decide in the very final days of the window.
Ismael Bennacer: He too is a ‘victim’ of the more or less total midfield revolution, which he is not involved in. Like Adli, he is not included in the official squad. There has been talk of a return to Marseille, but they would like a loan deal on more favourable terms than last year, while Milan want to sell.
Periodically, there has been interest in the Algerian from the Saudi League, but so far, nothing has materialised. His €4m net salary is a major obstacle in Europe, a major obstacle for Italian clubs in particular.
Divock Origi: Probably the most mysterious man to pass through Milanello this millennium. A mystery both because it’s difficult to explain such a radical decline from someone who, until six years ago, was capable of deciding a Champions League final.
It is also a mystery in practical terms, with the entire past season apparently spent between Florence and Rome, having disappeared from social media, out of the Milan squad but well paid (€4m net). A few weeks ago, he showed up at the club to discuss terminating his contract.
There was no success, the gap between offer and demand being too wide in terms of severance pay. The club and the player will try again, otherwise, it’s another season – the last on his deal, fortunately for the Rossoneri – as a high-paid but unemployable player.
Others: If big bids come in, other players could leave too. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the longer the time passes, the less likely they are to leave, since Milan must have the time and means to replace them.
In midfield, Musah could leave. Napoli seemed to have a deal in June but it went quiet, then there’s Nottingham Forest who were linked, and most recently Atalanta. Milan won’t listen to offers below €30m, and it’s also worth considering that Allegri holds the USA international in high regards.
Finally, after Noah Okafor’s departure to Leeds, there’s Samuel Chukwueze: the last traces pointed to Fulham, but Milan are demanding a permanent sale.
