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Milan owner Gerry Cardinale is reportedly set to intensify talks with club directors and advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as his priority remains hiring a new sporting director.
Milan had a nightmare season, culminating with a 3-1 away loss at Roma on Sunday.
Milan won the Supercoppa in January, but their latest loss in Serie A left the club out of European competitions in 2025-26, so it’s evident that the Diavoli will need a profound reorganisation in the summer.
According to Calciomercato.com, Milan owner Cardinale will intensify talks with club directors Giorgio Furlani, Geoffrey Moncada, and senior advisor Ibrahimovic to start rebuilding.
Contrary to what Gazzetta reported last week, Calciomercato claims nobody’s job is in danger, not even Jovan Kirovski’s, despite Milan Futuro’s relegation to Serie D.
According to the latest report, Cardinale’s priority remains to hire a new sporting director for 2025-26, after which Milan will probably hire a new coach as well.
Furlani has already held talks with Igli Tare and Fabio Paratici, but the Italian was ultimately ruled out for legal matters.
Massimo Calvelli could also play a role in the club’s future development. Bloomberg reported in April that the ATP CEO is set to be hired by RedBird.
According to Calciomercato, Calvelli will start working closely with RedBird’s Chief Commercial Officer, Brandon Snow, in July.
His duties will involve commercialising RedBird’s sports, media, and entertainment assets outside the USA, including Milan.
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Tottenham Hotspur star's LAFC transfer raises eyebrows for the right reasons
There aren't many athletes like Son Heung-min, the Korean attacker who's set to join Los Angeles FC for a blockbuster transfer fee of $20M-$26M, per GIVEMESPORT. During his 10-year run with Tottenham Hotspur — a stretch in which he broke Premier League scoring records and led the team to its first championship trophy in 17 years — Son played a major role for the Spurs off the field, too. The 33-year-old attacker hosted massive Korean banquets for Spurs staff, often catered by himself and his mother. He became godfather to teammate Ben Davies' child. Son also became renowned for treating people with respect, regardless of their station, and proved that you can be a world-class athlete without losing your principles. Son wasn't interested in leaving the Spurs for another Premier League club. He wasn't keen on signing elsewhere in Europe despite receiving serious interest from dozens of top clubs. Instead, he zeroed in on a wild, unexpected career shift to Major League Soccer. His transfer will be one of the biggest in the 31-year history of MLS. There are two types of players who join MLS on mega-deals like this: young, hyped talent from European and South American leagues (Atlanta's Emmanuel Latte Lath or Cincinnati's Kevin Denkey) and past-their-prime legends (Miami's Lionel Messi or the New York Red Bulls' Emil Forsberg). Son doesn't fit either of those categories. At 33, he's neither a moldable prospect nor an inflexible veteran. He's a world-class athlete in his prime, one who would be just as stellar at world powers Barcelona or Bayern Munich as he will with LAFC. This is the first time in a long time that MLS has successfully courted a player of Son's caliber and fitness level. One could argue that Toronto FC pulled it off when it signed Italian attacker Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi in 2022, but both players floundered in MLS. (Toronto released each this summer.) Son, with his indefatigable spirit and endless desire to please, is unlikely to make the mistakes in MLS that Insigne and Bernardeschi did. He's a willing ambassador and team player. In other words, he Messi with a little more gas in the tank. He's also a fascinating addition for LAFC. American soccer succeeds through multicultural exchange and owes much of its growth — on and off the field — to diasporas around the country. Son is one of South Korea's most famous and beloved celebrities, and Los Angeles features one of the world's largest Korean communities. His arrival in the L.A. will introduce American soccer fans to the Korea diaspora and should bring a wave of interest and positivity. According to GIVEMESPORT, Son's LAFC deal is expected to be finalized in early August. That would give Son a chance to improve LAFC's fortunes. The team (10-6-6), once known for its stability and unshakable nature, is sixth in the Western Conference with 12 games left to play in the regular season. LAFC will return to MLS action Saturday against the Chicago Fire.
Yankees quickly pull plug on key trade-deadline acquisition
After a disastrous start to his time in the Bronx, the New York Yankees have seen enough of reliever Jake Bird. Acquired in a trade-deadline deal with the Colorado Rockies, Bird was sent to Triple-A after giving up a game-winning three-run home run against the Texas Rangers on Monday night. The long ball continued what has been a head-shaking start for the 29-year-old right-hander with the Yankees, as he has given up seven runs (six earned) and four hits in just 2.0 innings worked over three games. His recent outings extend what has been a downward spiral for Bird. While with the Rockies, Bird allowed runs in 10 of his last 17 games before being traded, equaling a 13.20 ERA during that stretch. Before that, Bird was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball, posting a 1.41 ERA through his first 28 outings of the season. Bird's collapse in the Bronx goes along with the overall struggles of the Yankees bullpen. Devin Williams, another trade that was supposed to be an answer in the late innings for New York, served up the game-tying homer on Monday night in Texas. Over his last seven appearances, he has a 7.71 ERA, and a potential change at closer could be in the air after manager Aaron Boone's comments after Monday's loss. The Yankees made deals at the deadline to boost the bullpen, bringing in Bird from Colorado, David Bednar from Pittsburgh and Camilo Doval from San Francisco. However, those moves have mostly hurt the Yankees, who also saw leads evaporate in a three-game road sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins. While it's still too early to say the Rockies won the trade by acquiring two prospects for Bird, the early results for the Yankees certainly point in that direction. If Bird isn't able to regain the confidence that was such a big part of his demeanor while in Colorado, the trade will be a decision that New York could regret for the rest of the season and beyond.
Celtics' moves suggest new guard will be traded — eventually
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
Aaron Judge Assigns Blame As Yankees Continue to Sprial
Aaron Judge didn’t ease into his return. After missing over two weeks with a strain in his right elbow, the Yankees’ captain was activated Tuesday and inserted as the designated hitter. But his presence wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding or the finger-pointing. As the Yankees dropped their fifth straight game, falling 2-0 to the Rangers, the calls for a change in leadership were growing louder. Yankees fans were howling for Aaron Boone’s job and wanted Brian Cashman to be sent packing with him. But, Judge made it clear who bears the blame. “About us in this room, we’ve got to step up, look ourselves in the mirror and do our job,” he said. That was the message from a captain who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his first game back. Judge didn’t shift the focus to his own timing at the plate or the limitations of his injury. He kept the spotlight squarely on the team’s performance and their accountability. New York has now lost 19 of its last 27 games and watched a once-secure playoff position slip into a Wild Card race that’s tightening by the day. The loss dropped them behind Boston and just a half-game ahead of Texas for the final AL Wild Card spot. Mistakes continue to mount. On Tuesday, it was another bullpen collapse, another critical misplay in the field, and another night where the offense failed to deliver in key spots. For Judge, the diagnosis was simple. Do your job. With the standings getting tighter, Judge’s words carry weight. The Yankees have time to turn this around, but not if they keep looking elsewhere for answers or excuses. The answers, as Judge reminded everyone Tuesday night, have to come from within.
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