Liverpool star ‘devastated’ when he couldn’t join Milan | OneFootball

Former Milan director Zvonimir Boban reveals he had reached agreements to sign Dani Olmo and Dominik Szoboszlai for the Rossoneri, but was not allowed by the club.

Ex-Milan director Boban reveals Barcelona and Liverpool stars Olmo and Szoboszlai could have been playing for the Rossoneri.

Speaking to Milan Hello via MilanNews, the ex-Croatia international revealed: “Personally, I went to close the deal for Dani Olmo, but they [the club] didn’t want to do it. It was January 2020. Everything had been agreed, maybe we just needed to increase something, but it was practically done for €18m plus €2 add-ons. The player didn’t even ask for too much, but then we had to pay a bit extra, and I heard no response. It was a clear no.”

At the time, Olmo was playing for Dinamo Zagreb and joined RB Leipzig in the same transfer window for a fee exceeding €30m.

“I also went for Szoboszlai. Everything had been arranged. There was a done deal for €20m. It was his release clause with Salzburg,” Boban continued.

“It was denied, too, so I asked myself, ‘What’s that?’ We tried to meet him, but they didn’t want to see us for two months. We had agreed that everything we earned should have been reinvested, so there was almost €50m available from Suso and Piatek’s sales. Those two signings would come from these two sales.

“The deal with Szoboszlai was finalised in Innsbruck. Paolo [Maldini] didn’t come with me because he was afraid of being recognised. Massara and I met his father. It was all done. Szoboszlai wanted to join us immediately, but it was denied. I had to tell: ‘Look, let’s aim for the summer,’ but he was devastated, he really wanted to come to Milan immediately. He’s not world-class, but he’s very good. In my mind, he was a No.8, and he could become a great deep-lying playmaker with time.”

During the same interview, Boban strongly criticised Milan President Paolo Scaroni, saying the 78-year-old should “not be in football.”

A former Milan star, Boban won the Champions League at San Siro under Fabio Capello in the 1993-94 campaign.

He was appointed Milan’s Chief Football Officer in 2019, but remained at the club for less than a year. The former Croatian star, in fact, was sacked nine months later due to an explosive interview in which he openly admitted his disagreements with the club’s management.