A cold war is taking place at AC Milan between the Italian coach and the Belgian right winger who is expected to leave the club soon.
AC Milan have been very active on the transfer market this summer completing numerous transfers. Nine players have joined the Rossoneri squad while some have left. However, there is one important exit that has not yet materialized that is the departure of Alexis Saelemaekers that should take place very soon.
Coach Stefano Pioli has been very clear with the club management asking them to sell or loan out Alexis Saelemaekers at all costs. It is not yet clear what exactly has happened between the two but the Italian coach and the Belgian international have a practically non-existent relationship due to some events that occurred in the second half of last season.
Saelemaekers was unhappy about certain selection choices from Stefano Pioli who insistently preferred Junior Messias despite some nice performances from Alexis. The 24-year-old right winger did not hesitate to make his discontent known to Pioli. However, the Italian coach did not appreciate his attitude at all.
Pioli’s considers Saelemaekers behavior unacceptable and believes it had an influence on the dressing room climate at the end of last season. Despite their great performance in the Champions League, the Rossoneri finished fifth in Serie A and are playing Champions League football this season only because of Juventus’ points reduction.
Legitimately or not, Saelemaekers has become a scapegoat for Pioli. Nevertheless, the situation is not very positive for AC Milan. The Rossoneri had hoped for much more interest in the services of Alexis. Saelemaekers is 24-years-old, has 140 appearances for AC Milan, is a Serie A champion and is part of the Belgian national team.
Unfortunately, AC Milan have not received a permanent transfer offer for their right winger. Real Betis are highly interested in Saelemaekers and have already agreed personal terms with the player. However, the offer AC Milan have received from Real Betis is loan with option to buy. A scenario that Furlani has tried to avoid until now but, with the mercato closing next week, the odds are not on AC Milan’s favor.
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