AC Milan know that they must sign two new starting full-backs this summer, and the sooner they arrive the better in Max Allegri’s eyes.
Milan in the recent past built many of its successes on the left flank, fuelled by Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao. On the right, however, they found balance with captain Davide Calabria. With Calabria gone and Theo going, the time has come for change.
A shift to the right?
On the right side last season, Emerson Royal, Kyle Walker and Alex Jimenez rotated, never finding stability. If for years the team was more unbalanced on the left, they could rebalance things from 2025-26 and beyond.
The club remains in the evaluation phase, although for technical and tactical reasons, they will have to quickly hand over a pair of full-backs to the coach. On the right side the targets are Guéla Doué of Strasbourg and Marc Pubill of Almeria.
An official offer of €15m has been confirmed for the former, too low compared to the French club’s demands, which are over €20m. Pubill’s valuation is impacted by Allegri’s approval, a significant factor.
Doué finished his first season at Strasbourg after a career spanning the youth and first team at Rennes. He plays for the Ivory Coast and it’s possible he could one day challenge his brother Désiré, a PSG star, who has instead chosen to represent France.
Pubill, on the other hand, has not yet left Spain: his professional career includes spells with Levante, Almeria, and youth national teams.
The gap on the other wing also needs to be filled. While Max can initially rely on Jimenez or Alexis Saelemaekers as a ‘temporary’ right-back fix, on the other flank there’s only the young Davide Bartesaghi, in addition to the versatile Filippo Terracciano.
The options lead to several European leagues: looking at the Jupiler Pro League, in addition to Ardon Jashari, Milan have identified Archie Brown. The 23-year-old Englishman is left-footed, therefore a natural for that side, and costs between €7-10m.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has more experience (91 appearances for Arsenal, his current club, 128 previously with Manchester City) and also higher costs, but his contract expiring in 2026 could help any possible attempt.
Alternative options abroad also lead to Galatasaray in Turkey. Ismail Jakobs, 25, is a lower-cost option. He played in the Bundesliga with FC Köln and in France with Monaco before moving on loan to Istanbul. Born in Germany, he’s a Senegalese international.
Sergi Cardona, 26, is in his first season at Villarreal, and concludes our review of left-backs. The final choice cannot take long. Max needs a quality full-back on each side.
