Paolo Maldini confirms Milan are ‘close’ to signing Rafael Leao to a new contract and reveals he told the club owners to ‘grab the moment’ of a Champions League semi-final against Inter.
It kicks off at San Siro at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
The Rossoneri won the two previous Champions League editions of the Derby della Madonnina in 2003 and 2005, also going on to win the trophy that first season.
“Aside from the emotion of being at this level again, the fact that we have Milan and Inter in this game after 20 years is great for Italian football,” Maldini told Amazon Prime Italia.
“These are two teams with quality, so Napoli were eliminated by us despite being one of the best teams in the Champions League this season, so it is all a great sign for Calcio.”
Milan did not really expect to win the Scudetto last season, nor reach the Champions League semi-final this time around, so did they even dream of being here when the draws were made for the group stage?
“I always say there’s no harm in dreaming and if you settle for something, you can never give your all. That is the mentality of the top players and teams. We must also be practical too, because dreams alone are not enough.”
There are decisions to be made for the future and Maldini reveals what he discussed with first Elliott Management and then RedBird Capital.
“I think we are not yet ready to stay at this level, but talking to the American investors who have come through here, I said that this is a special club and a special city, so the process is accelerated. I said we must be able to grab the moment, because if we let this moment go and don’t try to reach the highest step, it would be a pity and we’d risk taking two steps back.”
Rafael Leao is only in the stands after failing a fitness test for a muscular problem, but there are hopes he will return for the second leg.
There was also news today that Leao has basically agreed a new contract with Milan until June 2028.
“Let’s just say we are close and that is what the club and the lad wanted. It was not easy, there were a lot of technical issues and things that came from the past too.”
This is referring to the fine that Leao and LOSC must pay to Sporting CP for the unilateral termination of his contract, long before he came to San Siro.
Andriy Shevchenko and Alessandro Nesta were at pitch-side to cover the match and said Maldini clearly wants to be playing tonight.
“The mind wants to, but the body does not agree! Unfortunately, at our age we cannot even do one per cent of what we want, so it’s better to have good memories.”