Five New Faces For Milan; Key Stars Leao, Theo, Maignan Remain

Milan sporting director Igli Tare confirms the Rossoneri want to sign at least five new players this summer, including two full-backs and a centre-forward: ‘I have clear ideas.’

The Rossoneri sporting director explained his strategy for the 2025 summer transfer window at a press conference with several Italian media.

“It will not be a revolution of the team but it will be a way of trying to specify specific roles to try to return to being competitive for the next season where we will have more time to work during the week, which is also useful for creating the foundations for the future project of this team,” Tare said via SempreMilan.

Luka Modric hasn’t yet signed for Milan, but Tare practically confirmed his purchase.

Tare confirms Modric’s Milan transfer
“He is a player who is an important figure in world football,” said the Milan director.

“I spoke to him in person and I saw him as a boy who still has a lot of desire to be competitive. His arrival is fundamental to be a point of reference for a team that needs players of this form.

“There will not only be him but also one or two purchases that will be part of these experienced players but will be a driving force for young players with great prospects.

“The starting point is that the midfield will be the department where we will intervene the most,” Tare continued.

“This is something we have analysed with the coach on the profiles and characteristics that this team needs.

“The first thing he [Modric] asked me was if we were a team built to win the championship. We are talking about a champion who comes from Real Madrid and has won seven Champions Leagues.

“I understood that he wants to come immediately to be a protagonist, it will be fundamental for what he will transmit to the team in terms of mentality and personality, of leadership.

“It would also be a great thing for him to have a season as a protagonist, taking into account that there is also the Club World Cup.”

Midfield is Milan priority for 2025-26
It is no secret that Milan are in talks with Granit Xhaka and Ardon Jashari.

“The names you mentioned are alternatives, players of great value but in the end we have to make the right choice based on what we need. We believe it is important to increase the quality of play of this team,” Tare said.

Theo, on the other hand, seems on the verge of joining Al-Hilal with just one year left in his contract at San Siro.

“Theo’s qualities are well known, a player who has given so much to this club. All these evaluations also start from a desire, on his part, to seek a new experience,” Tare explained.

“We welcomed it with a normal thing because with my arrival and that of a new coach, we will try to build a team different from the past years. His transfer is not yet defined; we are working.

“I understand that there is a rush to give the news, but you must understand our difficulties; things change every minute and every hour. It is something in progress, but it is not yet closed; we have to wait.”

Maigna and Leo transfer situations explained
Mike Maignan’s contract also expires in 2026, but Tare aims to retain the France international.

“Maignan is not leaving, he will be at Milan next season too. There was interest from a Premier League club [Chelsea] but in the end an agreement was not reached, knowing that Maignan is a point of reference not only on the pitch but also off it. We decided to focus on him and look forward together.

“The market is unpredictable, but for us, he remains a fixed point of this team. We need to convey a bit of enthusiasm, and for this reason, we are trying to understand what is needed to improve this team: they will all be players functional to this project to increase the quality of this team, which was already strong.

“We plan to intervene on the wingers in the event of any exits,” Tare added.

“As for the centre forward, we are looking for another player to compete with Gimenez, who I consider an excellent player but who has had a normal Italian impact, of settling in, from a very different football like Dutch football.

“Therefore, we have maximum confidence in him, but we also need to make another intervention on the centre forward role.

“We are taking the necessary time to understand what shape the team will take but we have clear ideas about what type of player he will be, with the characteristics of a true centre-forward who can make the difference inside the area: this has been missing since Giroud’s farewell.”

Both Dusan Vlahovic and Moise Kean have been linked with a move to Milan. Will the Rossoneri look to a striker who knows Serie A well?

“We are evaluating both in Italy and outside Italy: it is a question of characteristics and for our team’s game it is fundamental,” Tare replied.

“He must be a player with completely different characteristics to those of Gimenez who is not a centre forward like Giroud: we must be good at completing these two things together.”

How about the future of Rafael Leao?

“I think Leao is a true champion: few in today’s football decide matches on their own. He is a fundamental player for our team but also for our project,” said Tare.

“I had the opportunity, and so did the coach, to speak seriously with him, and I had a nice surprise: from the outside, you may have a different opinion, but when you get to know him you find a very competitive guy; his questions were about how the team will be strengthened.

“I consider him an important pawn in our project: he has everything to become a true champion. He has always shown it but I think he hasn’t shown what he really can yet. Offers? We haven’t received anything yet: the interests are all market rumours.”

Tare opens up about Musah, Allegri and Reijnders’ replacement
Napoli were in talks to sign Yunus Musah, and Tare left a door open to his exit.

“I think Musah is an excellent player, but we are looking for profiles with characteristics that are useful for the project we have together with mister Allegri. We are looking for low midfielders in a three-man midfield,” he said.

“Musah does not have these characteristics; he can play with two or three, but with other characteristics. This is the real reason why we want to do something different. We are also evaluating the intervention of another player in midfield together with a striker.”

Aside from two central midfielders and a striker, Milan also wants to acquire defensive reinforcements.

“We will sign a right-back and a left-back. In the event of a sale, we will also intervene on the wings and in central defence,” Tare revealed.

“The same goes for the attacking wingers. We must be focused on doing the best possible for the team and being protagonists.”

Tare’s first move as a Milan director was to hire Massimiliano Allegri as the new head coach.

“After my arrival there was this need to intervene immediately. From the first contact I had with Allegri I perceived that he cared a lot about this club: he had a very deep knowledge of the problems of this team,” explained the Rossoneri director.

“Thanks to a blitz by me and Giorgio [Furlani] in Lugano where we had a long meeting together with Max, we made sure that in 48 hours he made a quick decision and accepted this project of ours.

“I am in contact with Allegri daily, even more than four or five times a day. He is aware of everything we do for the team. We only spoke about characteristics and opportunities that come up every day.

“His game system is very clear: first there are certain roles and then the rest will be completed at the end of the market.”

How will Milan replace Tijjani Reijnders?

“It’s difficult to make comparisons but I think Milan have a player like Loftus-Cheek who is one of the most complete midfielders in the European panorama,” Tare concluded.

“He can be a key player for Milan next season: we must try to manage the injury situation better, but the player’s value is beyond discussion.

“He can also be replaced with some new additions with different characteristics to Reijnders, also because we want to play with a three-man midfield that can be transformed during the game.”

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