Milan CEO Ivan Gazidis warns some players ‘have to leave as free agents for the figures they are requesting,’ as agents act as ‘if COVID never happened,’ while clubs must be more responsible.
The Rossoneri announced their 2020-21 balance sheet with consolidated losses of €96.4m, almost halving last season’s €194m.
“We are laying the foundations for our ambitious project of Milan in the future, with a clear and coherent strategy,” Gazidis told reporters.
“We intend to create an innovative and sustainable model, both on and off the pitch. We are a club working to bring Milan back where it belongs.”
Gazidis spoke about the on-going issue of contract negotiations, after losing Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu for free to PSG and Inter respectively.
The club now risks a similar outcome with Franck Kessie, whose deal expires in June 2022, with Alessio Romagnoli also ready to walk away for free.
“Decisions are never easy. In the past, players didn’t push to leave as free agents. Instead, today the clubs operate in a more responsible fashion on a financial level, whereas players and agents act as if COVID never happened.
“Some players have to leave as free agents for the figures they are requesting. We will continue to make decisions in the best interests of the club, remaining competitive at the top in Serie A and Europe, but we cannot ignore economic sustainability.
“I think we might’ve made mistakes, but all decisions were made for the good of the club.”
Milannews.it examined the latest balance sheet and calculated that since taking over from Yonghong Li, Elliott Management pumped €500m into the club’s capital.