Maldini and Leonardo are collaborating with an Arabian fund to acquire AC Milan club from Cardinale and they already have a new coach in mind.
At the beginning of December Paolo Maldini released a strong interview against the management and ownership of AC Milan. The legendary defender spared no punches hitting out at Cardinale, Furlani and Scaroni describing them practically as incompetent. Claims that are difficult to reject considering the current chaos and disappointment that has engulfed the squad. Another particular point of that interview was that Maldini did not exclude a return to AC Milan.
In fact, the former Rossoneri technical director is working hard on this front. According to recent reports, Paolo Maldini is collaborating with a still unnamed Saudi Arabian fund, believed to be PIF, to acquire AC Milan club from Gerry Cardinale. Several confirmed meetings have been held between the parties in Italy and in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Maldini is in sync with the unnamed investors but he is not the only one involved.
Former AC Milan midfielder, coach and sporting director, Leonardo is also involved. In fact, Leonardo is the man that has worked behind the scenes with the Arabian fund to facilitate talks with RedBird and also get Maldini on board. The Arabian fund is willing to help Cardinale fully repay his 600 million loan to Elliott and even enter the club initially with an minority stake but with two conditions.
Cardinale must agree to sell the entire AC Milan package either immediately or in the short term and secondly everything must be closed before the start of the summer transfer window so that the mercato business is conducted by the new ownership. If the operation turns out successful Paolo Maldini will return at AC Milan but this time as club president and not technical director.
Paolo Maldini will still be the main driver behind the transfer decisions with Frederic Massara returning as sporting director. It is not yet clear if Leonardo will return at the club or his involvement is only limited on the negotiations regarding the transfer of ownership. A fresh face that will join the club will be that of the new coach with the potential new owners having no plan to confirm Stefano Pioli in his position.
La Repubblica reports that the Arabians have Roberto De Zerbi as their main target for the coaching role. The Italian coach of Brighton has done an incredible job in the Premier League turning Brighton into European football contenders and one of the most exciting sides in England. De Zerbi has a €10 million release clause into his Brighton contract.
Roberto De Zerbi is also an AC Milan former midfielder and knows perfectly the Rossoneri environment. He has always expressed his gratitude towards the Red and Black club and has declared that his football education is a result of “the Milan of Baresi, Tassotti, Maldini, Boban, Savicevic and Costacurta. Milan raised“. The 44-year-old Italian coach is one of the most wanted names on the market.
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