Can AC Milan really afford to sell their best players?

It looks likely that AC Milan’s star duo of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are set for a combined £49million move to nouvre-rich French club PSG.

The Italian clubs president Silvio Berlusconi has confirmed the sale.

Berlusconi told Gazzetta dello Sport: “ Yes, I have sold Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to PSG. We save £150m over two years”

Behind

Last season Juventus enjoyed a startling renaissance which saw the Old Lady claim the Serie A title. The club from Turin also managed another impressive feat, in that they managed to go through the whole campaign undefeated.

Reigning champions Milan wouldn’t have been happy to see Juve lift the Scudetto and surely they would have been expected to comeback strongly this season. However the sale of two of last seasons key players mean that their team is considerably weaker than last season.

Money

It seems that Rossoneri president Silvio Berlusconi is trying to cut-costs at the San Siro. Both players are on massive wages and their departures would save the club a huge amount of money. Its common knowledge that AC Milan have huge debts and are struggling financially.

Linked

Milan are again being linked with a move for Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez. The Argentinian was linked with a move to the Serie A giants in the January transfer window and seems to have re-appeared on Milan’s radar.

A move for Tevez would seem a strange one though, as the striker is also on massive wages. His wages are probably slightly less than Ibrahimovic’s, but he still picks up a massive pay packet each week.

Milan were also being linked with a move to sign Holland international Wesley Sneijder from bitter-rivals Inter. However, Sneijder’s agent has claimed that he will stay with the Nerazzurri this summer.

Rebuilding

Milan are in need of a major rebuilding job this summer. The club has lost experienced players such as Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf, Gennaro Gattuso and Mark Van Bommel. These are the players that the Milan team has been built on in recent years.

The only notable additions that the Rossoneri have made to their squad so far this summer are midfielders Riccardo Montolivo and Sulley Muntari. Italy international Montolivo showed at Euro 2012 that he has heaps of talent and will be a good addition to the squad.

Muntari spent last season on-loan at the Rossoneri from Inter. He has now made the move permanent but is currently sidelined with a long-term injury.

Milan really need to bring in fresh talent if they are to have an impact at home and broad next season. Their squad is now looking thread bare with nearly half of last season’s squad now departed. It must be worrying times for Milan fans.

Envy

Juventus have been very busy in the transfer market this summer strengthening their squad ahead of the new season. They have brought in the likes of Lucio from Inter and midfield pair Kwadwo Asamoah and Mauricio Isla from Udinese.

Although the trio are not marquee signings they would be good signings for any Serie A side and Milan fans must be looking on in envy at their rivals.

Competition

With all the departures and expected departures it’s difficult to see how AC Milan can compete with their rivals for the Serie A title next season. Boss Massimiliano Allegri will have to move fast to bring in new faces or the new campaign could be a very disappointing one for Rossoneri fans.

Can AC Milan afford to sell their best players?