Dreams come true [Newsletter]

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Jun 04, 2025

Needless to say, it has been a lively start to the summer for AC Milan. From the arrivals of Igli Tare and Max Allegri to the potential sales of Tijjani Reijnders and Theo Hernandez, it has been bonkers. We’re only at the start as well, with a big arrival on the cards… This and more in the latest edition of the newsletter

😲 Modric to Milan?!

This came out of nowhere, with Matteo Moretto dropping the news late on Monday evening. However, the move itself is far from surprising as everyone knows that Luka Modric is a boyhood Milan fan, not to mention the fact that he has been linked with the Rossoneri many times before. Now, with the Real Madrid chapter (soon to be) officially over and Igli Tare keen on adding experience, the time has come.

An agreement has reportedly been reached over a one-year contract worth €3.5m, with an option for an additional year. It’s a signing that just feels right given his ties to the club, although one can rightfully have doubts about his age (he will turn 40 in September). A quick glance at his stats for the 2024-25 season will show 57 appearances, but more than half of them were off the bench.

It’s still impressive for a player of his age, though, and with a tailored role he can still make a difference at the highest level. And again, his words about the club in the past help convince us all: “Boban was an idol for me and my dad, when I was little, bought me a red and black suit. I imagined being a Milan player but it went differently, and when you get to Real Madrid, it’s difficult to think of going elsewhere,” he stated.

🤭 It’s funny how football works…

Four days ago, the biggest defeat of all time in a Champions League final was recorded, as Inter failed to put up a fight against Paris Saint-Germain. This isn’t going to be a taunting section of the newsletter, let’s make that clear from the off, but it’s funny how football works sometimes. After a full season of being at the top of every competition, the Nerazzurri came away with nothing.

The Supercoppa Italiana, the Coppa Italia, the Scudetto and then the Champions League. Needless to say, many Inter fans will view the season as a failure, especially since there were shouts for a treble or at least a double. It just goes to show that you can do most things right and still end a season with great disappointment, which seemingly will lead to some big changes as well (Simone Inzaghi leaving).

Now, as Milan fans, we really shouldn’t be talking too much about the defeat. It was a properly embarrassing season for the Rossoneri and missing out on European competitions has, by all accounts, forced at least one big sale. Still, the feeling is perhaps that the playing field has levelled a bit ahead of next season, with almost every top team - bar Napoli - going through a big change of some sort.

📋 Milan Bulletin

Below, we have collected the most important Milan news from the last week, including our longer reads and newspaper reports.

🔍 Longer Reads

With the absence of any youth or women’s football, we’ll take the opportunity to plug some of our longer reads from the past week in a bit more detail.

There was a step-by-step reconstruction of how Massimiliano Allegri’s return to Milan came about and the crucial role that Igli Tare played, as well as a tactical deep-dive on Allegri’s former sides and how Milan might play

We also provided a summary of all the Rossoneri players that are on international duty in the current break including the times, dates and venues for each game. Finally, the latest column from Rajath asks if Allegri’s second spell will be a romantic reunion or a nostalgia-fuelled nightmare.

📰 Latest News

The big news concerns the sale of Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City. There is a lot of anger about the reported fee of €55m plus bonuses, while a midfield rebuild is again needed like after Sandro Tonali's exit. Luka Modric looks like being the first signing but the belief is that two further additions will be needed as Allegri wants to play a 4-3-3.

Mercato round-up: Theo Hernandez is wanted by Al-Hilal and Atletico Madrid with the latter offering a counterpart, Chelsea want Mike Maignan and Milan are looking into his replacement, Dodo is an option for the right-back role, an acceleration for a Torino star is expected soon and a Parma sensation is the No.1 defensive target.

One of the topics that will dominate the summer is what will happen with the various returning loanees. A new coach could mean a clean slate for the likes of Noah Okafor, Yacine Adli, Tommaso Pobega, Alexis Saelemaekers, Ismael Bennacer, Lorenzo Colombo and others, or they could largely be sold to boost the budget. Saelemaekers in particular it seems has a good chance of remaining.