Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani opened up about the club’s hunger to return to European glory, the pain of watching rivals Inter win their second Scudetto star and the ambitions of owner Gerry Cardinale.

The Rossoneri have been unable to keep up with their rivals this season but have managed to keep the same pace as their own Scudetto winning campaign, showing positive signs under Stefano Pioli despite all the media noise over the last few months.

Milan sit second in the Serie A table with nine games left to play, comfortably in the top four spots, and will face Roma in the quarter-finals of the Europa League later in April. They are also keen to avoid watching Inter secure their Scudetto in the upcoming Derby della Madonnina.

Speaking on page two of today’s Gazzetta dello Sport, Furlani first discussed how it feels to watch Inter win their second Scudetto star this season.

“Obviously we would’ve liked to win that first, we aim to do so next year. We are not that far away after all.

“We have pulled our necks out of the water, a team that risked bankruptcy after the Chinese owners, now we must continue along the growth path to be permanently on par with the best in Europe.”

He was asked if the Rossoneri were capable of winning their 20th Scudetto next term.

“The goal was and always remains to win. We are still second. In the league we have one point less than the Scudetto season and 10 more than a year ago after the same number of games.

“It means that we have improved the team, that we have a stronger starting base with good rotations. The new signings have brought 40 goals, and turnover is no longer a problem.

“Last year we had to revolutionize the squad, this year not, we have to perfect it. We’ll have the advantage of consistency to aim to win the Scudetto and move forward in Europe.”

The Milan CEO Was then asked when the team would next win the Champions League.

“If you ask Cardinale, he’d tell you as soon as possible. He is in love with the club and looks to the substance, in this he’s the most determined. If you ask me what I want to improve on, it’s easy, winning.

“A year ago, we reached the Champions League semi-final, that hadn’t happened since 2007. This year we exited at the groups and it’s also a question of luck or bad luck in the draw. And then there is the Europa League, which we’ve never won, that’s an important objective.

“I don’t know how long it’ll take because it cannot be established on paper, but I repeat, we inherited an insolvent club and we brought them back to the top of Serie A, thanks also to the leadership of president Scaroni.

“Today all the resources generated are reinvested to build an increasingly stronger team capable of fighting to win.”

Furlani spoke about where Milan can find new sources of revenue.

“Certainly, from the new stadium. To be truly and consistently competitive in Europe you have to keep up with other clubs and without a stadium that is suitable for 2024, and not 1960, you are effectively operating incomplete.

“The San Donato project is the one we found most attractive, we’ll continue along this path. Mayor Sala and WeBuild proposed the idea of a renovation project for San Siro, the details of which we don’t know.

“We’ll listen to the various options, but the main road remains San Donato. Hypothesis 2028-2029 opening, but I won’t say too much.”

He discussed how the Rossoneri can work to close the gap to the clubs at the top of Europe.

“The sporting results have helped us fuel the economic ones and vice versa, after 17 years we have a positive balance sheet. Revenues grew by 60% thanks also to the contribution of RedBird and Cardinale’s thirty-year experience in sport, Gerry cares a lot about results.

“Cardinale is the first to underline that there is no financial performance without sporting performance. He is an owner who participates in the life of the club on a daily basis, we talk every day and several times a day.

“Before going to sleep I ask myself: ‘Did I tell him everything about what happened today?’. Gerry is always on point, in contact with our entire work team, he wants his project to be a success from all points of view.”

Furlani was asked about the recent investigation into the club’s ownership status between Elliott Management and RedBird.

“We have zero fear of it, Milan’s owner has been RedBird since August 2022. Elliott has granted a vendor loan which is one of the many possible ways to conclude an operation of this magnitude. There is nothing hidden, everything is very transparent, the facts are easily verifiable.

“It’s right that the authorities do their duty, we remain fully cooperative. The only wish is that it be done quickly, a bit of annoyance in the air is inevitable.”

He spoke about if Milan were looking for a new shareholder.

“Given that the vendor loan, which is much talked about, expires in the second half of 2025, there is nothing imminent. There are no ongoing negotiations on the shareholder issue. In any case, control of Milan is and will remain with RedBird.”

The Rossoneri CEO touched on the role of advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“On a formal level, Zlatan has no powers where he can decide things at the club, but our approach to work is not ‘formalistic’. There is a group that operates and decides in full collaboration.

“My relationship with Ibra is fantastic and I’m lucky to have him close to me, he is curious, he knows many realities and knows what football is today.

“We are complementary, he is a pitch man, I’m a director. I cannot speak to Maignan in his own language.”

Furlani was asked how it felt to be perceived as a ‘cold numbers man’.

“I care about Milan, I really care. I repeat, the conditions the club found themselves in accentuated in me a strong attention, responsibility and aversion to risks which prevent me from being irrational.

“When I was offered the opportunity to be part of the management, I asked myself one question: ‘On my deathbed, will I regret doing this or not?’ I answered no. For me it’s not a question of career, there is only Milan, the club where I’m linked today and forever.

“I’m not looking for the limelight in football, I will never go to any other club.”

He spoke about the division of labour regarding transfers.

“Let’s not forget Moncada, Geoffrey is number one. Ibra himself is the first to turn to Geoff to exchange opinions on the players.

“I don’t decide on the tactical level, but on the aspects connected and related to the investment, if you have €100m, you don’t put €80m on a single player. It’s not up to me to discuss names or roles.”

The Milan CEO was asked if the club would spend €50m on a new striker.

“In football we make the big mistake of thinking that the price corresponds to the value, but this is almost never the case. The transfer market is the most inefficient there is. We want to aim for value, which does not necessarily match the cost of the player.

“We have to find Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek… The budget itself depends on many factors, on how we finish the season or on the outgoing market. We don’t focus on the numbers but on improving the team with players for Milan.”

Furlani confirmed the release clause present in Rafael Leao’s contract.

“Rafa has a release clause of €175m but before that he has the desire to stay at Milan. He’s happy here, he would be the one asking to leave but he really doesn’t want to. Long live Leao at Milan.”

He also commented on the transfer positions of Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan.

“They have contracts until June 2026. There is talk of selling or buying but often it is the players who decide on their future. Theo and Mike are two champions, we hope they stay with us for as long as possible and make the difference again.”

The Rossoneri CEO spoke about the future of coach Stefano Pioli.

“Our season has been good so far, but like last year there was another team that went beyond expectations. Yesterday Napoli, today Inter. Pioli has a decidedly positive history at Milan, he brought the team back to the Champions League and won the Scudetto.

“He is often criticized but he has achieved important results. No one from the club has ever spoken about his position being at risk. Now it would be ungenerous to evaluate him based on the future path in the Europa League or the outcome of the derby, however important it is.”

Furlani touched on the idea of an Under-23 team in the future, like Juventus’ NextGen squad, and if Francesco Camarda could be a leading figure in that.

“The reflections on the second team have been there for five or six years now, but the regulatory context remains complicated. Camarda is a boy who grew up in our youth sector, he has just turned 16 and we would like him to always remain with us and score many goals in the future with this shirt.

“He is a Rossoneri fan like me, I am convinced that he wants to remain in an important sporting project. I want to point out that certain figures that have come out regarding hypothetical requests made are absolutely not correct, they are even offensive to the agents, to the boy and his family.”

Finally, Furlani was asked if he wanted to grow his political weight, something he is often accused of lacking by Milan fans.

“We’re focusing on ourselves, perhaps we’re looking less at political issues and more at substantive aspects. Conspiracy theories don’t belong to our culture…

“We’re interested in spreading important messages instead, such as on inclusiveness, which inspired our third shirt, and the fight against racism, as seen in the defence in Maignan. Milan are a social institution, with millions of fans and global media interest.

“We have the opportunity and obligation to set an example. Here it is possible, at the headquarters, in Milanello, at Vismara, we all share the same values. You can feel the air of those moving in the same direction, which is also why I look at Milan’s future with great optimism.”

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