While the focus right now should entirely be on our pursuit of Champions League football, AC Milan have left the door open for uncertainty due to the current contracts situation at the club.
A string of key individuals will see their current deals expire this summer, and that could be an unwanted distraction for all concerned given the level of coverage it continues to receive.
READ MORE: Under-par Theo Hernandez must rediscover spark to provide boost for Milan
It’s hoped that the talk off the pitch isn’t affecting performances on it, but in an ideal situation these matters would be clarified and sorted out as soon as possible to allow those involved to remain fully focused on ensuring that we secure a top-four finish in Serie A with just nine games to go.
Fortunately, it appears as though there will be some good news arriving in the next week or so, as Sky Sport Italia report that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to extend his stay with the Rossoneri for another year.
The 39-year-old has 17 goals and two assists in 24 games so far this season as he has shown that Father Time hasn’t caught up with him just yet as he can still produce at a high level, while his experience and leadership amongst a young squad is also invaluable.
In turn, if the Swede continues to deliver on the pitch, there doesn’t seem to be any reason why we wouldn’t extend his stay for another 12 months, provided that we ramp up our search for a successor in that time and use it wisely to identify a long-term solution too.
Further, it’s also hoped that Ibrahimovic putting pen to paper will open the floodgates and allow others to follow suit, as the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu find themselves in similar positions.
Opinion may well be split on what to do with the pair, but the quality that they bring to the squad should mean that the club are working hard to find agreements to ensure that they remain at San Siro beyond this summer as we look to continue to build and improve rather than spending time replacing important players.
With Ibrahimovic set to commit himself to Milan, securing Champions League qualification is the next big assignment on the agenda as keeping our talisman and booking our spot back at Europe’s top table will certainly help in convincing our top players to remain for the foreseeable future.