For the first time in eleven years, Milan are Campioni d’Italia and deservedly so. The Rossoneri enjoyed a solid campaign under the tutelage of Stefano Pioli that saw them dethrone their crosstown rivals in a epic Scudetto race. Nonetheless, the new champions must further enhance their squad in order to beat all comers next season and perhaps make a serious run in the Champions League for old time’s sake. But in order to do so, Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara must first chop the deadwood to make way for new arrivals. So here are five players that Milan should offload in the upcoming summer transfer market.
Matteo Gabbia (Center-Back)
After rising the through the club’s youth ranks, Matteo Gabbia has become a part of Pioli’s first team in the last couple of seasons. However, playing time has been hard to come by for the young defender.
Despite Simon Kjaer’s season-ending injury and Alessio Romagnoli’s unsettled position at the club, the 22-year-old still couldn’t cement himself a regular starting spot, with Pierre Kalulu proving to be the surprise package at the back.
With the Dane veteran returning to action next season and the expected arrival of a new center back, Gabbia will fall further in the pecking order, which is why cashing in on him might be a wise decision after all.
Fodé Ballo-Touré (Left-Back)
When you’re playing second-fiddle for the consensus best left-back in the league, you’re unlikely to receive a large chunk of playing time, and this was the case for Fodé Ballo-Touré this season.
But that’s not where the issue lies for the African Cup of Nations winner. The problem with the former Monaco man is his inability to prove himself to be a worthy backup in the absence of Theo Hernandez.
Perhaps the Senegal international isn’t met to play in Serie A after all, and Milan would do well to replace him with a local player.
Tiemoué Bakayoko (Central Midfielder)
Since making the switch to Chelsea in 2017, Bakayoko has been constantly on the move in search for a niche. However, his task has proven to be futile so far.
While his first loan stint at Milan had borne decent results, his 2021 comeback has turned out to be an utter failure, with the Frenchman completely failing to make himself useful for the cause and degenerating into a mere benchwarmer.
Even though his loan stint won’t expire before another 12 months, Maldini and company should try their best to cut ties with the midfielder earlier than planned in order to make room for a more beneficial replacement.
Samuel Castillejo (Right Winger)
Even though this statement has been repeated for the past two years, but Milan should absolutely offload Samu Castillejo this summer and bring an end to his lackluster stint.
While the Spaniard is obviously a talented winger, Italian football simply isn’t his natural habitat, and after four underwhelming seasons, this experiment must be to put to bed sooner rather than later.
The 27-year-old’s contract expires in 2023, but the Rossoneri are unlikely to receive an enticing sum in return, so they might just accept any decent offer that ensures the departure of the unwanted player.
Ante Rebic (Left Winger)
Arguably the most controversial pick on the list, but Ante Rebic might have outstayed his welcome at Milan. The Croatian is first and foremost a left winger, but with the formidable Rafael Leao comfortably occupying this spot, his role at the club has vastly diminished.
The former Fiorentina man has been tried as an emergency center forward, but Milan are expected to bring in a new striker who can rotate with Olivier Giroud, while the Rebic experiment upfront hadn’t been the most successful anyway.
The 28-year-old has a contract that ties to to the Italian champions until 2025, hence, this might be the ideal occasion to cash in on a reputable squad player whose transfer value could drop massively in a year or two.