Milan Out on Mateta, Eye Fiorentina and Juventus Stars | OneFootball

Milan didn’t get cold feet in the Jean-Philippe Mateta deal, as the striker has a legitimate knee problem and must decide whether to have surgery now, jeopardizing his chances of making France’s World Cup squad, or postponing it to the summer, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.

Regardless of that, the Rossoneri are ready to move on and are unlikely to pursue him again, even though his price tag will decrease. His contract will expire in 2027, and he’s not inclined to renew it.

The Milan doctors noticed something they didn’t like in the results of the first medicals Mateta took. He had a meniscus tear back in 2019 and needed longer than usual to return. Their concerns were more for the future than for the present.

The marksman took further tests in Paris, and Rossoneri decided not to pull the trigger. There were minor bureaucratic problems too. His representatives aren’t registered as a company in Italy and would have had to pay more taxes than normal. However, that wasn’t a deal breaker, Tuttomercatoweb reports.

As for the future, Massimiliano Allegri is pushing for either Dusan Vlahovic or Moise Kean, Calciomercato relays. The Serb will likely depart Juventus on a Bosman move, but his agents ask for very sizeable commissions. Instead, the Fiorentina star has a €62M release clause, but they’d try to negotiate his price tag.

Our Take on Milan and Mateta

It might have been happenstance and not a conscious decision, but they might have dodged a bullet. It would have been a risky splash even if he were completely healthy. While the coach might prefer an elite pure no.9, their current forwards have proven quite apt for his style.