Report: Milan turn to ex-Liverpool director to replace Furlani as CEO | OneFootball

The latest reports in Italy claim that Milan could be set to turn to former Liverpool chair Ian Ayre to replace Giorgio Furlani as the club’s CEO and that fellow Brit Lee Congerton is reportedly also among the options for sporting director.

Milan cleared out the entirety of their senior management team immediately after the 2025-26 season came to an end. The Rossoneri suffered a complete collapse in the second half of the season and ended up missing out on Champions League qualification, despite the fact that they had spent large spells of the season in second place.

As a result, Milan confirmed that they had parted company with head coach Massimiliano Allegri, CEO Furlani, sporting director Igli Tare and technical director Geoffrey Moncada in a single, brutal statement on Monday, the day after the 2025-26 season came to an end.

Tuesday’s reports suggest that Andoni Iraola and Xavi are among the initial leading candidates for the Milan head coach role.

Ian Ayre and Lee Congerton linked with vacant Milan roles

According to updates from Gianluca Di Marzio, Ayre is among the candidates to take over as Milan’s new CEO. The 62-year-old is currently based in the United States, where he is vice-chair of Nashville SC. He has been with the MLS side since 2018.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 09: Jurgen Klopp at Anfield is unveiled as the new manager of Liverpool FC as he stands alongside Tom Werner (l) the chairman and Ian Ayre (r) the chief executive during a photocall at Anfield on October 9, 2015 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Ayre spent a decade with Liverpool between 2007 and 2017, serving in the roles of chief commercial officer, then CEO and then as chairman.

Di Marzio also claims that Welshman Congerton, currently serving as sporting director at Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, is an option to replace Tare at Milan. Congerton has scouting and directorship experience with several UK clubs, including Liverpool, Chelsea, Celtic and Leicester, and spent two years working in Serie A with Atalanta between 2022 and 2024.