Milan market, revolution ready: bye-bye two rejected by Allegri and there's the doubt Leao
While the team coached by Massimiliano Allegri remains focused on the vital goal of a Champions League placement, the Rossoneri management has already started planning for the future, with the intention of correcting some market operations that have not brought the hoped-for fruits. In the management’s magnifying glass have ended up two players, arrived respectively in the last two market sessions, that the Livorno coach would have by now definitively rejected.
The less thorny case concerns Pervis Estupiñán, the man chosen last summer to replace Theo Hernández, has never been able to hold the weight of a legacy that lasted six seasons: his performances, often opaque and lacking the athletic exuberance typical of his predecessor, have convinced the club to consider an immediate transfer. In fact, Max Allegri has repeatedly preferred to focus on young Bartesaghi for the left flank, with the Ecuadorian full-back, who arrived from Brighton in the summer for a sum close to 20 million, relegated to reserve, despite scoring a goal in the derby. The young Italian’s continued growth and thus less and less space for him could lead to an increasingly likely split in the next market window.
No better fate seems to await the other excellent “flunked” player, Niclas Füllkrug. The German center forward had landed in Milan last January from West Ham as an emergency solution to make up for the long forced stop of Santiago Giménez, who had ankle surgery. Despite the international pedigree accrued between Bundesliga and Premier League, the striker’s impact with Serie A has been decidedly underwhelming. The numbers do not leave room for much interpretation: just 537 minutes spread over 16 appearances, with the paltry statistic of only 3 games as a starter. A single ring the decisive goal in the 1-0 success against Lecce at San Siro. The player will most likely not be redeemed for the figure agreed with West Ham of 5 million partly because of his age, which is no longer very young (33 years old), and the onerous salary.
But the real shakeup could come from Rafael Leao. Despite an armored contract until June 30, 2028, the feeling between the Portuguese and the environment seems to have soured amid fluctuating performances and the booing at the San Siro in the defeat against Udinese. The club, once firm on the 175 million clause, now seems willing to negotiate: with Manchester United pressing, Milan could deprive itself of its highest-paid player for a sum close to 50 million euros, thus securing the cash needed to find a suitable replacement in the summer market.
