Paolo Maldini’s contract expires today, but his extension has been pushed back several times because the club legend wants more decision-making power.
Maldini and Massara’s contracts run out at midnight and despite multiple reports in Italy claiming that their signature was imminent, the club has yet to reach an agreement with both of them.
They are seen as the main architects of Milan‘s first Scudetto in 11 years and Rossoneri fans are hoping to see the legendary defender extend his stay at the club.
But why has it taken so long for him to sign a new deal?
The former Italy international wants decision-making power and expected to have a bigger transfer budget for the summer. Instead, the Rossoneri will only have €50-60m available for new signings and have missed out on Sven Botman, who had been in talks with Maldini and Massara for several months, reaching a principle of agreement with the Serie A champions.
Elliott reportedly decided against matching Newcastle’s offer, so the Dutchman moved to the Premier League.
The same could happen with Renato Sanches, who had given his green light to join Milan before PSG’s offer. The Rossoneri decided not to raise their €18m bid, so the Portugal international is destined to move to Paris.
There are also different views concerning the club’s development for the summer. Maldini wanted to sign Botman, while Elliott, who are still in charge until September, would rather invest in attacking players.
Maldini and Massara had a meeting at the club’s headquarters on Wednesday but didn’t sign a new contract. The latest report of Il Corriere della Sera claims that Maldini has refused to put pen to paper on a new deal, sending the contract back to Elliott representatives with some corrections he wants in order to commit his future to the club. His contract extension doesn’t depend on money but is about his power and role at the club.