Alright! We got our first incoming player. Our second big name leaving. And over the weekend Milanello opened up and players started arriving with training officially starting today. Yes, the whole squad won’t be there until later this month most likely (Santiago Giménez and his Mexican national team just beat USA in the Gold Cup final yesterday), but the new season has officially begun and I couldn’t be happier despite my misgivings about Gerry & Co. and what their plans are for our beloved club.
So, we got plenty to cover. Let’s dive in.
Current News
The first news item is Milan’s first signing! Welcome to Samuele Ricci! The Italian comes via Torino but came up in Empoli’s youth system. He has 10 caps for the Azzurri and has been a mainstay in Torino’s starting lineup the last 3 seasons, playing in 101 games and starting 87. Both his youth and Serie A experience make this a smart signing, particularly with the need for an upgrade in the midfield.
Not knowing much about him despite seeing him play every time Torino played Milan, I wouldn’t say he was a stand out but I did notice he was a quality player. When it was announced he was coming I thought it was to be the DM the team needs but he appears to be more the mezzala or regista-lite. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a little bite, but don’t expect him to be Franck Kessie.
Oddly enough, he does map to a Tonali-lite, strong in almost exactly the same characteristics just not as pronounced. The characteristics where he’s not Tonali? Tackles and interceptions. That’s why Tonali was great in the double pivot, especially when paired with another similarly versitile player, as they could seamlessly swap roles and the team wouldn’t suffer. This is also why Ricci, at least walking in the door, isn’t that Reijnders replacement nor the DM the team really needs for the 4-2-3-1 formation. I don’t like it but Milan seem to be angling for a 4-3-3…
Regardless, Ricci appears to be a solid player but just how valuable remains to be seen. Rohit Rajeev from Twitter has a solid scouting breakdown if you’re interested.
The other big piece of transfer news isn’t exactly a surprise but Theo Hernández has accepted the move to Al Hilal now that Al Hilal have been knocked out of the Club World Cup. I am bummed out about the move but I think it makes sense on many levels, so it’s not a heartbreaker the way Tonali’s sale was. In fact, I’m still pissed about that…grrr…
Why am I not upset? Well, getting €25M for a player going into his final contract year, coming off a relatively down season, is really good business especially if he wasn’t going to re-sign at an amount you wanted. So it’s going to benefit the club, even if not immediately since his impact was huge (how they spend the money will obviously greatly impact how this sale turns out). We’ll talk some down in the rumor mill section about, well, rumors and the players getting some buzz as possible replacements.
One last thing on Theo: as I was thinking about him leaving I realized he’s been criminally underpaid during his time at Milan (most of the players have/were), especially when you consider those 3 really amazing seasons where he was top 3 at his position in the world. He’s won a league trophy, a few other ones, and just about won a World Cup and has a decent chance winning one in 2026. So chase the bag my friend, you’ve earned it. Go to Saudi Arabia for a season, or 5, and make generational money. It’s almost certainly not going to cost him a World Cup 2026 roster spot, and in fact, the less rigorous league may help keep him fresher heading into that summer, which could be an edge provided he’s sufficiently motivated and focused.
I’ll miss you Theo, and thank you. Second best LB in Milan’s history, which is pretty bad ass.
Training for the 2025-26 Season Has Begun!
Lastly, training has started! Can’t believe the 2025-26 season officially kicked off today. We even got an Allegri presser! (link at the end of the post)
As alluded to at the top of the post, there are still some players missing, or at least not expected to arrive until later for various reasons (Modrić still playing in the Club World Cup and Giménez just won the Gold Cup with Mexico yesterday). But for the most part the bulk of the team was available for the first training. With the first friendly on July 23rd in Singapore, I would expect some scrimmages next week, likely (hopefully) shown on the Milan app or YouTube.
Speaking of that first friendly, here are the currently scheduled friendlies this summer:
– July 23: Arsenal v Milan – Singapore
– July 26: Liverpool v Milan – Hong Kong
– July 31: Perth Glory v Milan – Perth, Australia
– August 9: Leeds United v Milan – Dublin, Ireland
Milan will tackle Bari in their first official game of the 2025-26 season, albeit a Coppa Italia match on August 17th at the San Siro. Milan kick off the Serie A season vs Cremonese at the San Siro on August 23rd.
With that bookkeeping out of the way, the big preseason questions I’m looking at are:
– What formation will Allegri land on? This will need to be the first domino to fall.
– What non-star players will he lean on to be regular starters?
– What players are we expecting to leave, which earn their place, and which players end up playing their way out the door?
– What other players do you think will arrive? Any favorites?
What are you guys looking at/thinking about this preseason? Let us know down in the comment section!
Summer Signings/Transfer Activity
Signings
– DM SAMUELE RICCI (Torino, €23M + €2M add-ons) – Signed until June 30, 2029 (€2M + bonuses per year)
Departures
– RB/CB PIERRE KALULU – Juventus, €14.3M
– CB MARCO PELLEGRINO – Boca Juniors, €3.5M
– MF TIJJANI REIJNDERS – Manchester City, €55M plus €10M easy add-ons, plus €5M more difficult add-ons
– CF FRANCESCO CAMARDA – Lecce, €3M buy option, €4M buy back clause
– LB THEO HERNÁNDEZ – Al Hilal, €25M
Total Outgoing: €23M/possible €25M
Total Incoming: €97.8M/possible €112.8M
Total Overall: +€74.8M
Rumor Mill
Some names with a sentence or two on each. Listed in order by the completely objective and scientific method of my loosely informed opinion of most likely to arrive:
CM LUKA MODRIĆ Allegri today said they expect Modrić to join the squad in August (essentially once the Club World Cup ends and he gets some rest). So all signs point to him joining but we don’t add anyone to the squad until we see them signing the paperwork. Don’t want to get Biabiany’d…
MF ARDON JASHARI Current reporting is that Milan have offered up to €35M including add-ons. Jashari told Club Brugge that he wants to move to Milan and he isn’t training with the club currently as they are anticipating him being sold. Club Brugge to decide on next steps.
One more thing: there’s been some confusion (including from me) about what type of player he is and what he will bring. I did read up and he appears to be a sturdy, high work rate midfielder with good ball carrying and vision. The most common comparisons I saw were to Barella and Declan Rice. Click here for a nice little summary.
CF VICTOR BONIFACE A new name to add to the rumor mill, and one I really like. Big, strong and still young at 24 years old. I would probably take him over any of the other rumored strikers simply due to his upside. But the price tag to get him (€40M) makes this a long shot even if Tare was reported to have said they plan to spend on a striker, likely in August.
LB ARCHIE BROWN The LB rumors heated up as soon as Al Hilal got knocked out of the Club World Cup (Theo’s pending move) and this guy is getting a lot of attention, even more so with LB Maxim De Cuyper, mentioned here last week, signing with Brighton. I don’t know much about him but he appears to be a Theo clone, i.e., lots of darting runs with the ball and progressive passing. Coming from Gent and only 23 years old, he probably needs a little bit of time and I find it difficult to believe he’d be an everyday starter walking in the door.
LB NATHANIEL BROWN Same as above – name starting to get thrown around after Al Hilal got knocked out of the Club World Cup (Theo’s pending move). Like with the other Brown above, he’s young (22 years old) but he appears to be more of the traditional fullback with a little bit of a nose for goal. Comparisons I saw were to Marcos Llorente from Atlético and Davide Zappacosta from Atalanta. Lastly, if Milan are going to move to a 4-3-3, then I think he’s a better fit that Archie Brown as I don’t want Rafael Leão crowded out and with Theo leaving, the 4-3-3 could work if the LB is more of a stay at home, or at least more conservative getting forward (I would also say that if that’s the case, then just roll with Bartesaghi…).
CF DUŠAN VLAHOVIĆ Nothing new here since last week. I don’t think anything will happen with him until August as him and Juventus have a stalemate going. I think his wages make this a no-go but weirder things have happened. Could be a good rental that’s for sure.
DM GRANIT XHAKA Move has really lost steam. With Ricci arriving and Fofana and Bondo on the squad, it could’ve been that it was Ricci first (need that Italian quota!) and if it didn’t work then Xhaka was the plan B with finding an Italian in a different role.
Wrap Up
Alright, there was a lot to cover and it’s a sign things are picking up! Let me know your thoughts below, including what I missed or any other transfer rumors you’re hearing about that aren’t FIFA video game levels of nonsense. Until next time!
Forza Milan
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