Milan could be on the verge of offloading another out-of-favor first-team player, with Fode Ballo-Toure reportedly open to joining Saint-Etienne. According to Calciomercato, the 27-year-old is enthusiastic about returning to his homeland after turning down several proposals this summer.
Ballo-Toure fell out of favor at Milan last summer. The Rossoneri hoped to reignite his career or boost his value by sending him to Fulham on loan in 2023/24. However, the move was an epic failure. The left-back, initially planned to deputize for Theo Hernandez, barely featured in the Premier League.
Fulham naturally refused to take up their option to make the deal permanent, resulting in Ballo-Toure’s return to Milan. But he’s outside Paulo Fonseca’s plans for the upcoming season, and the Serie A giants are actively looking for a buyer. Besiktas and Venezia had shown interest earlier in the summer.
But Ballo-Toure rebuffed both approaches. St Etienne’s proposal has seemingly intrigued the former Monaco defender, who joined Milan in 2021 for €5.4m plus add-ons. Letting him leave even on a free transfer would save the San Siro tenants around €2.67m between wages and amortization.
Since he’s only made 26 appearances for Milan, the club is contemplating the prospect of terminating his contract to let him join St Etienne for free. Les Verts have returned to Ligue 1 after two years away and are frantically looking for reinforcements. Ballo-Toure has emerged as the French team’s target, with Milan eager to facilitate the move.
In addition to Ballo-Toure, Milan have agreed to sell Pierre Kalulu to Juventus.
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