Di Marzio: Milan had ‘lined up’ deal for Morocco World Cup star who is now Bayern-bound

Igli Tare and Massimiliano Allegri had been working on a deal for Ismael Saibari to join AC Milan, but he will now head elsewhere.

Given that it looked like a Champions League finish was on the cards for Milan pretty much all season, Tare and Allegri had sufficient time to plan the summer transfer window, with names like Mario Gila and Leon Goretzka among those linked. However, all that went up in smoke when they were sacked.

Saibari to Milan: The background

Gianluca Di Marzio spoke on Cafe Di Marzio in collaboration with TuttoMercatoWeb and Gianlucadimarzio.com. He commented on the corporate reorganisation at Milan and offered some background on an operation that was in the works but will no longer happen.

“There’s the new technical structure, new in a manner of speaking because it’s part of an internal reorganisation where Almstad will be at the top,” he said.

“He’s a figure who’s been within Milan for several years now, and he certainly had influence in certain situations because he’s always been very close to the owners. I hope it’s the right choice for Milan, but Milan is certainly starting late compared to many others.

“It’s a Liverpool-style model, but that model has been built over time, over the years, so I don’t like to judge the choice today; it would be superficial.

“Milan had already lined up a deal with Tare and Allegri, namely Saibari, the Moroccan international striker who has done very well so far and who Bayern Munich has now signed and locked up for the future.”

Saibari is starring at the World Cup for Morocco, where he has scored goals in back-to-back games. That comes after a season with 15 Eredivisie and three Champions League goals for PSV Eindhoven.