What The Return Of Max Allegri Means For AC Milan Transfer Strategy
Massimiliano Allegri celebrates with the Serie A Trophy (Photo by)
Having endured a hugely disappointing season, AC Milan have wasted little time ringing the changes, announcing earlier this week that Max Allegri would return for a second stint at the club.
The Rossoneri stumbled to an eighth-place finish in Serie A and lost the Coppa Italia Final to Bologna – a defeat analysed in this previous column – as coaches Paulo Fonseca and Sérgio Conceição both failed to make a positive impact.
Fonseca was sacked in late December after winning just six of 17 Serie A fixtures with him at the helm. Conceição won the Italian Super Cup just days after being appointed, but was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Feyenoord and ultimately failed to qualify for Europe.
Ultimately that has led to sweeping changes. Former Lazio official Igli Tare has been named Sporting Director, with Allegri's appointment confirmed shortly afterwards in a statement on Milan's official website.
'AC Milan is pleased to announce that Massimiliano Allegri has been appointed as the Head Coach of the Men's First Team,' it read.
'Born in Livorno on 11 August 1967, Massimiliano Allegri played in Serie A for Pisa, Pescara, Cagliari, Perugia, and Napoli before beginning his coaching career in 2002. He managed Aglianese, SPAL, Grosseto, and Sassuolo before making his Serie A coaching debut with Cagliari in 2008. In 2010, he joined AC Milan, winning the Club's 18th Scudetto in his first season, followed by the Italian Super Cup in 2011.
'The Club extends a warm welcome and best wishes to Massimiliano and his staff.'
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Allegri has signed a two-year contract with an option to extend the agreement for a further 12 months. The Italian transfer expert also believes Milan will pay their new boss around €5.5 million ($6.24 million) per season for the duration of the deal.
Having appointed the new Coach, Milan appear to be wasting little time making changes to the squad at Allegri's disposal. It seems much of the work Tare intends to do will be funded by the sale of Tijjani Reijnders, with Manchester City close to completing a move for the midfielder.
According to multiple sources, an initial €60 million ($68.09 million) bid was rejected, with the Premier League club – keen to get the transfer finalised ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup – immediately upped the fee to €70 million ($79.43 million).
Reijnders weighed in with 15 goals and four assists in all competitions for Milan last season, and it seems Allegri has identified some of his former players as potential replacements. Nicolò Rovella and Hans Nicolussi Caviglia both featured under the tactician during his time at Juventus, with the duo now identified as Milan targets.
It is particularly notable that the Coach is pushing for a reunion with Rovella, with Allegri widely believed to have opposed Juve's decision to send the youngster to Lazio in 2023, but unable to prevent the €17 million ($19.29 million) move being completed.
Another high profile name heading for the exit is Theo Hernandez, with his agent finding the club in no mood to negotiate earlier this week. Manuel Quilon reportedly held a meeting with Igli Tare, the new sporting director immediately rejecting the €7 million ($8.51 million) annual salary demanded by the player's representative.
Hernandez's current contract with Milan expires in June 2026, with Milan having made it clear they will not allow the full-back to run down his deal and leave for free. As discussed in this previous column, the 27-year-old was a constant source of problems for the club this season, and he has been told to find a new club.
So while Max Allegri's return means there will be a familiar face on the bench in 2025/26, the departure of those high profile players means AC Milan will look very different next season.
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