Milan director Frederic Massara confirms Olivier Giroud’s new contract is ‘imminent’ and they want to keep Brahim Diaz, but warns a decision on Rafael Leao must be made before the end of the season.
The game with Empoli kicked off at San Siro at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).
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The Rossoneri revitalised their campaign with a surprising 4-0 triumph away to leaders Napoli last week, a remarkable result also considering they will meet again next Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
But first they have to host Empoli and keep the Serie A momentum going to consolidate a top four position, especially after Inter drew with Salernitana earlier today.
“It was a great performance against Napoli and it gave us confidence going forward, so we want to build on that starting from tonight,” Massara told Sky Sport Italia.
The main topic of discussion was about matters off the field, specifically the contract extensions of their top players including Giroud, Brahim Diaz – who is on loan with option to buy from Real Madrid – and Leao.
“We are down to the details with Giroud, the renewal is imminent. Brahim Diaz has done very well in recent years. We’ll sit down at the table with Real Madrid and see what the options are. We would like to bet on him.”
The situation with Leao, whose contract only runs until June 2024, is a little more complicated also because of the outstanding fine he must pay to his old club.
“There is the reciprocal desire to renew the contract and that is a good start. There are particular complexities, but we are facing them with the hope of finding a solution by the end of the season. It is difficult to give a percentage, as until a deal is done, it is always 50-50.
“There were moments when we seemed closer, others where we appeared to be further away. It is a situation we want to resolve. Evidently, we must understand by the end of the season if there is a possibility of extending the contract.”
If a deal is not reached, then Leao will certainly be sold over the summer with no shortage of clubs to take him on, including Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
There were reports in Portuguese paper Record today that Leao’s fine was even bigger than expected.
“It is big, but it is under €21m,” assured Massara.
“We are interested spectators in all this, not part of the situation, but we are confident they can find a solution that will allow us to renew his contract quickly.”