Milan president 'confident and relaxed' on Rafael Leao stay
Milan president Paolo Scaroni says he is not worried about losing Rafael Leao whose current deal expires in 2024.
Milan is second in the Serie A table, eight points behind Napoli after 15 matches. They also have reached the last 16 of the Champions League and will face Tottenham next.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Scaroni discussed the economic situation of Italian football and the importance of making money in football.
“In Italy we have set ourselves as a model. Elliott was a responsible shareholder who nevertheless made the necessary capital increases and invested heavy sums: over €700m. He has been a forerunner, in a certain sense obliged.
“All football will go like this, it is no longer the time of the patron president with a large portfolio. Financial Fair Play requires it. In Italy we consider it logical to ‘lose’ in the budget, but it should be the opposite. Bayern Munich has been making money for almost 30 consecutive years.
“Football is a machine, money is the petrol. The ideological debate is sterile, football, the league, doesn’t want to pity anyone but it should. Without money, you stop the machine. You don’t compete, you stop the system, to have ambition you need resources.”
Scaroni said his focus is on building a new stadium and also increasing
Millan’s revenue from international TV rights.
“The Champions League is too important to ‘feed’ our 550 million sympathizers, some of whom are also here in Dubai and the Emirates. It is almost more so than a Scudetto. So, my two battles are for the new stadium and for international TV rights.
“Usual example, if we earn €35-40m a year from the San Siro, Bayern collects at least three times as much. A beautiful, modern, full, floodlit stadium, a key show to sell TV rights abroad, and consequently to attract sponsors.
“La Liga gets four times what the Serie A club’s get. Real Madrid, like us, has a partnership with Emirates, yet it grosses much more because outside Spain it can sell itself better.
“As do the others: the Premier League sells worldwide for €2 billion, we sell for €200m. We need to grow, starting precisely with new facilities. The conservative method in football is tantamount to shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Milan's president spoke about the latest situation of Inter and Milan’s new stadium project.
“The public debate is over and, in a few weeks, we’re waiting for the report from the municipality. If they suggest feasible changes, we will execute that. If they ask for disruptions, no thanks.
“We have thought of a different facility, with two rings and developed vertically, to allow optimal viewing from all positions, that is why it could hold 65,000 to 70,000 spectators.
“In parallel we are following other paths, one leads to Sesto San Giovanni, but it is not the only one. Where it is unblocked first, we will proceed.”
“I’m told that Rafa is really happy in Milano and with AC Milan. Paolo Maldini’s taking care of the new deal negotiation so I’m confident and relaxed about it”.
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