Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s future continues to be a hot topic in Italian media, as the Swede is yet to sign a contract renewal with Milan despite several reports suggesting he would be ready for the start of the pre-season. Meanwhile, the Rossoneri haven’t made single signing for the first team yet.
Although the transfer window will end in October, meaning there is plenty of time for Paolo Maldini and his colleagues to recover, you can’t help but wonder why they haven’t made any moves yet. It all points to Ibrahimovic, who has been Milan’s priority since the season ended, yet they have failed to reach an agreement.
Sure, the 38-year-old was a very important player for Stefano Pioli’s side and keeping him will be essential ahead of the upcoming season. That being said, the negotiations have taken up too much time and the Rossoneri are now slacking behind on the market. After all, their season will start in just over three weeks with Europa League.
Milan will enter in the second qualifying round and will need to overcome three opponents to secure a ticket to the group stage. The competition isn’t of the highest quality one must admit, especially in the qualifiers, but the Rossoneri risk facing Tottenham, Wolfsburg, PSV and Sporting in the last qualifying game.
Teams that, by the looks of it, are better-equipped than the current Milan side, who have parted ways with Asmir Begovic, Jack Bonaventura, Lucas Biglia and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (although he most likely will renew) since the season ended. They weren’t all starters, but important for depth and Pioli’s rotation indeed.
Furthermore, Ante Rebic will miss the qualifiers due to a three-game ban he received while at Frankfurt. In the end, Ibrahimovic’s renewal won’t be enough and it’s clear that some reinforcements are needed. It will be important for Milan not to get too hung up on the striker and consequently forget about other business moves they need to carry out.
Taking a look at the probable starting XI, as things stand, Milan should be able to make it through but rotation could become an issue, especially since they will compete in the league at the same time as well. In the post-lockdown period, Pioli was often praised for his successful rotation and that was all thanks to the depth.
Probable Milan XI (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Conti, Kjaer, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer; Castillejo, Calhanoglu, Leao; Ibrahimovic (?).
Hopefully, we will see some movement on the transfer market in the coming days. There have been many rumours, that’s for sure, and it’s clear that Maldini and Ricky Massara have been adding names to their wish list throughout this period. Of course, though, negotiations have to be started.
Although he won’t join the team straight away, it seems that Ibrahimovic’s renewal will be signed by next week and that will certainly free up a lot of time for the management. They will have to put it to good use, though, with Milan fans keen on celebrating the arrival of some new players.
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