With Hakan Calhanoglu’s contract set to expire in a matter of weeks, AC Milan face another contract renewal conundrum as we wait to see if he puts pen to paper on a new deal.
The Rossoneri have been down this road this summer already, with Gianluigi Donnarumma soon to become a free agent after failing to agree on fresh terms with the club as his current contract ends on June 30.
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Paolo Maldini and the hierarchy acted with class in putting Milan first through that particular process, moving swiftly to bring in Mike Maignan as it became apparent that it was unlikely Donnarumma would commit his future to us with terms put on the table for months.
There appears to be a similar stand-off with Calhanoglu evolving as we’re just weeks away from his deal expiring and there has yet to be any mention of a new agreement, and particularly with the calibre of players being linked with a move to San Siro this summer, has the Turkish playmaker’s time at Milan come to an end?
Milan face big decision to find creative consistency
In 172 appearances for Milan after joining us as part of our spending spree in 2017, Calhanoglu has scored 32 goals and provided 48 assists.
From eight and 14 in 45 outings in his debut campaign with us, he has floated around those same figures in each season since, and while they are respectable numbers, it arguably hasn’t been enough given his role and importance in the side.
Calhanoglu is effectively the creative hub in the team as our No.10, and having been moved more centrally last season and having turned 27 in February, we’re at the point now of having to decide whether or not he can be the leading spark in the final third that we need at the top level.
Inconsistency has been his biggest issue throughout his stint at Milan, as he has enjoyed productive runs of form where he has been highly influential in our attacking play, only to lose his that form and go missing for games at a time.
Milan have made their contract offer to the Turkish international which they deem to be fair and reasonable, time will tell if the feeling is mutual.
The situation is seemingly becoming increasingly complicated though, with La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that Milan hold an interest in Chelsea playmaker Hakim Ziyech.
Further, MilanNews report that Udinese ace Rodrigo De Paul is our priority to replace Calhanoglu, should he leave. Between them, they contributed 15 goals and 15 assists last season, albeit Ziyech struggled at Chelsea, and so they would certainly bring creative quality and technical ability to our side.
On one hand, it could be argued that Milan should keep Calhanoglu and add more playmakers to the squad if we want to be competitive across multiple fronts moving forward.
However, if he is ready for a new challenge elsewhere, bringing in two players of the ilk of Ziyech and De Paul could arguably end up helping Milan take that next step both at home and in Europe as we try to continuously improve the squad with players who want to be here and wish to play a leading role in the years to come.
