Huge decision gives Milan an extra non-EU slot [Newsletter]

AC Milan have been handed a huge mercato boost by the FIGC as British players now are equivalent to EU players ‘in all respects’. This means that Ruben Loftus-Cheek no longer is taking up one of the Rossoneri’s two non-EU spots for the season, opening up opportunities for the management.

When Milan reached an agreement with Villarreal for the transfer of Samuel Chukwueze, who landed in the city today, they also gave up their last non-EU slot for this season. Or at least that was the case then, because CONI at the request of FIGC have now decided to consider all British players as EU players, freeing up one slot for Milan.

The decision was announced earlier today and has come into effect immediately, meaning Giorgio Furlani, Geoffrey Moncada and Antonio D’Ottavio will have to meet again to evaluate their mercato. Indeed, this has opened up a wide range of opportunities for the trio.

Daichi Kamada has been more or less ruled out, as Milan believe he’s not suitable for the 4-3-3 formation that Stefano Pioli mainly wants to use. Mehdi Taremi could perhaps become a concrete target again (albeit unlikely), but the Rossoneri could also use the last non-EU slot for another position. We will just have to wait and see.

In other news, Milan played their first friendly of the pre-season tour in the US on Monday morning. They looked very bright at the start of the game against Real Madrid and headed into the second half with a 2-0 lead thanks to a nice header from Fikayo Tomori and an absolute stunner from Luka Romero. Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t as fun.

A howler from Marco Sportiello invited Real Madrid back into the game and less than a minute after that, the score was 2-2. Milan recovered as they brought on some of their stars and almost took the lead through Olivier Giroud, but just like Tijjani Reijnders’ effort a few minutes later it didn’t end up in the back of the net. Instead, the Spanish side scored the winner through Vinicius Jr.

The result aside, Milan actually looked decent and certainly showed that they are a bold team. They pressed high and put Real Madrid in difficulty many times, while several players impressed individually as well (such as Christian Pulisic and Romero). It’s just a shame that the goals conceded all could have been easily avoided.

The Rossoneri will face Juventus next and for us Europeans, it will be played at 04:30 CEST on Friday. A stronger starting XI is expected for this one as the stars have regained some fitness over the last few days: Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Krunic, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao.

News bulletin

➤ The news regarding the non-EU slot could change Milan's strategy as they look to add the final pieces to the squad, with a report claiming that targets like Ibrahim Sangare of PSV and Folarin Balogun of Arsenal could be explored again.

➤ Matteo Gabbia has completed a season-long loan move to Villarreal. The deal does not include an option to buy, while the youth sector product sent a message to the fans before sealing his switch to the LaLiga side.

➤ There were a couple of notable bits of business for the Primavera, as Alejandro Jimenez officially signed from Real Madrid on an initial loan and talented left-back Andrea Bozzolan penned a new long-term deal.

➤ Some serious preparation is ongoing at Milan's camp in Los Angeles, but there was time for a bit of fun too as Charles De Ketelaere emerged the victor in an intra-squad penalty shootout, even scoring a cheeky Panenka.

➤ There have been some media commitments for the team while out in the USA. Rafael Leao spoke at length about the decision to renew and feeling like a leader, while Olivier Giroud set a clear target of getting the second star.

➤ Samuel Chukwueze has landed in Italy and will undergo a medical ahead of a move to AC Milan. The operation is worth an potential €28m with more details emerging on the deal, as the Rossoneri have landed seemingly their No.1 right wing target.

In case you missed it

Make sure to check out the latest podcast episode, and our latest bonus podcast in which the lads discuss Reijnders’ arrival. You can also read our latest bonus article, which tells the story of our new sporting director Antonio D’Ottavio. Are you interested in a paid subscription? Read all about it here.