CEO Ivan Gazidis has spoken out on the stance that AC Milan have taken when it comes to the renewal of the contracts of key players.
Milan’s struggles with renewing key players has received some scrutiny from fans and the media, especially after Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu left for PSG and Inter respectively with the club not receiving a single penny in transfer fee as their contracts expired.
The Rossoneri management are also currently battling to try and resolve the future of two players whose deals expire next June in midfielder Franck Kessie and defender Alessio Romagnoli. Both have true market values worth in the tens of millions but they could also walk away for free unless some solution is found.
Gazidis spoke at the shareholders’ meeting this evening during which the 2020-21 accounts were discussed, and he was asked about the club’s strategy on renewals.
“Decisions are never easy. All clubs negotiate with agents and everything is very sophisticated. In the past, players did not push to leave on a free transfer. Today, however, clubs operate responsibly from a financial point of view. But the players and agents think as if the Covid never happened,” he said (via MilanNews).
“To get to the figures they want, they have to go on a free transfer. We will continue to make decisions in the interest of the club, remaining competitive at top in Serie A and in Europe. But we cannot transcend economic sustainability. I think we may have made mistakes, but every decision was made for the good of the club.”
More must-reads: