Last night AC Milan extended the contract with Sandro Tonali until 2027 with doubling his previous salary of 1.4 million euros per year. The day before yesterday, they also extended the contract of Rade Krunić. In the coming days, they will sign Pierre Kalulu, whose salary will deservedly jump from 800,000 to 2 million euros. This summer, Fikayo Tomori signed a new contract with an increase from 2 to 3.5 million euros per season. Earlier, Theo Hernandez (2026, 4.5 million), Alexis Saelemaekers (2026, 2 million) and Davide Calabria (2025, 2 million) signed their long-term loyalty… Not including veterans Ibrahimović (2023), Giroud (2023) and Kjaer (2024), the championship team is “almost” tied down for the next few years because goalkeeper Mike Maignan also has a firm contract until 2026.But that “almost” is what bothers Milan and its fans. Two more signatures are missing, one of which is the most important. The best player Rafael Leao and the playmaker Ismael Bennacer have contracts until the summer of 2024. And the months-long negotiations about the extension are not giving results.❗️ ‘If Jack Grealish is worth €117m, then Rafael Leao is worth €400m!’ Italian media after Rafael Leao’s derby display in which scored 2 & assisted in Milan’s 3-2 win. The last player to get at least 2 goals & an assist in a derby for Milan was Andriy Shevchenko. 🏄🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/HvE4TfttsM— GiveMeSport (@GiveMeSport) September 5, 2022 No need to waste words on how much the two of them mean to Stefano Pioli’s team, but it is well known what it means when a player enters the last two years of his contract. If there is no extension of cooperation, Milan would have to sell the mentioned tandem next summer so that a year later it would not experience the same scenario as with Gianluigi Donnarumma and be left without any compensation. The problem is that in such situations, buyers also know that the seller has his back against the wall, so they offer less money than the players are worth on the market.There is still optimism in Milan that an agreement will be reached with Leao and Bennacer. With the Algerian, the situation is much easier. He currently earns 1.7 million euros per year, Milan are offering a raise to 3 million, and he is asking for 4 million. As Paolo Maldini has set the upper limit for the players’ salaries at 4.5 million euros per year, it is possible that Bennacer will get what he is looking for.But with Leao – it is a different story…The Portuguese has made a lot of progress and has become Milan’s main man, so it is clear that he has outgrown the current salary of 1.4 million euros per year. He is one of the few Serie A players, along with Vlahović, Chiesa, Milinković Savić or Skrinijar, who have the quality for the strongest clubs in the world. Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea this summer showed interest in the Portuguese winger, whose value today is around 100 million euros. If Antony, Tchouameni or Darwin Nunez are paid that much, there is no reason why Leao is worth less. Until now, Milan have successfully defended itself against the attacks of other clubs, with Leao’s buyout clause, which amounts to 150 million euros, and which was still too expensive for everyone.That’s how club legends are born – Tonali deserved it allMilan want to keep him, also San Siro is a great environment where he is the first star and works with a coach who brought out the best in him. But he also has a dangerous advisor – care for the career of the Milan winger is managed by his well-known compatriot Jorge Mendes, who is merciless in such situations and it suits him that his most valuable clients change clubs as often as possible.Mendes’ request last winter was a raise to 6 million euros per year, while Milan offered 4.5 million euros and bonuses. Since then, Leao’s value has skyrocketed further, as have the demands of his agent. Now Mendes is asking for a salary of 7 million euros plus that Milan pay half of the debt the player has to Sporting from Lisbon, which after an out-of-court settlement amounts to 9 million euros due to the unilateral termination of the contract. For Milan, these figures are too high because even in the case of Donnarumma, Maldini did not want to cause chaos in the dressing room and violate his own rules by giving a player twice as much money as others.If Milan were to give Leao 7 million euros net per season, it would cost them 10.5 million euros a year on a gross level (with tax deductions). When everything is added up in the five-year contract, it is 52.5 million euros, plus those debts to Sporting that amount to around 9,000,000 euros – that is over 60 million euros cost for the whole package.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Milan are ready to raise the initial offer and cross the red line of 4.5 million euros. According to Maldini’s unofficial rules, that line can be crossed if it is a player with the capacity to fight for the Ballon d’Or, and in Milan they believe that Leao is exactly that. They are ready to raise their offer to 6 million euros and bonuses, but that’s all.If it was up to Mendes, that offer from Milan will be rejected because he knows that in England and other top clubs in Europe his client could get a salary of around 10 million euros per year. The situation is such that the bottom-placed Premier League team earns 50 percent more than the champions of Italy. It’s the same sport, but the market rules are different.Milan will play on the card of the player’s emotions. With Sandro Tonali, it was possible because the boy has been a fan of Milan all his life, he is Italian, he rejected bigger offers from other clubs in order to wear the red and black jersey. But he is the type of person who thinks ‘with his own head’ and his agent serves him only as an assistant.##NAJAVA_MECA_6632776##In the case of Donnarumma, Maldini also played on the player’s emotions and repented because Donnarumma’s head was managed by the late Mino Raiola. The situation is similar with Leao. Jorge Mendes is mostly the one who decides for his clients. If Leao refuses to listen to his agent and stays at the club for less money, then AC Milan are at peace. If the Portuguese decides to leave everything to his agent, then the Rossoneri would have to think about selling next summer and take those 100 million euros if they can…
