Milan Transfer Market: It’s Official Now—Ralf Rangnick Won’t Be Joining
Milan Transfer News: Ralf Rangnick will not be the Rossoneri’s next coach. The news had been circulating for a few days, but it was officially confirmed on Saturday. The current Austria national team coach will remain in his role until 2028, as confirmed by the local Football Association in a statement. This news will likely ruffle some feathers within the Rossoneri camp, but not for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will thus retain the much-desired “final say” on transfer decisions—a power that would otherwise not have been guaranteed.
“Head coach Ralf Rangnick will continue his tenure with the Austrian national team and remain with the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) at least until the 2028 European Championship. The renewal of his contract was finalized after many months of intense and constructive discussions. With this agreement, the national team’s sporting future has been clarified ahead of the start of the 2026 World Cup,” the statement reads.
According to reports in ‘Gazzetta dello Sport,’ Rangnick’s own frustration also played a role in the deal falling through, as he had grown tired of waiting for a definitive response from the Rossoneri club to his demands. The German coach demanded total carte blanche with full control of the technical staff, without external interference: conditions that had not convinced Ibrahimovic, who has always been reluctant to relinquish his influence in the Rossoneri’s strategic decisions. Milan’s hesitation effectively paved the way for a contract renewal with the Austrian Football Association, which in recent weeks had expressed great confidence that its head coach would remain.
With Rangnick out of the picture, Milan must now accelerate its search for a new coach, starting with the alternatives already on the table. The hottest name remains that of Oliver Glasner, the Austrian coach who has led Crystal Palace in recent years, winning the FA Cup, Community Shield, and Conference League. Glasner is said to have already prioritized Milan over other destinations, and, according to rumors, there is even a draft agreement for a two-year contract. His attacking style of play, based on pressing and vertical play, represents a radically different philosophy from that of Massimiliano Allegri, who was sacked at the end of a season that culminated in a failure to qualify for the Champions League.
The candidacies of Matthias Jaissle and Ruben Amorim also remain in the running. For the former, new contacts are expected to assess his departure from Al Ahli, while the Portuguese coach—currently without a team after being sacked by Manchester United earlier this year—has been approached directly by the Rossoneri management. In recent weeks, the names of Alvaro Arbeloa and Mauricio Pochettino had also emerged, but both currently seem to be further down the list compared to the leading candidates.
The coaching situation is inevitably intertwined with the transfer market, where Milan will have to deal with a possible exodus of star players. From Rafael Leao, whose departure now seems a foregone conclusion, to Mike Maignan, who is being persistently courted by Chelsea, as well as Adrien Rabiot, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Youssouf Fofana. Luka Modric’s future also remains up in the air: the Croatian midfielder, currently with his national team at the World Cup, has made it known that he wants to first see who will be sitting on the Rossoneri bench before deciding whether to exercise his contract renewal option or accept a management role at Real Madrid. This overall picture makes it even more urgent for RedBird to find quick and credible solutions for the club’s coaching staff.
