AC Milan prepare for life after Maignan: Alisson emerges as shock target

From today's standpoint, Mike Maignan's future at AC Milan looks increasingly uncertain.

The Rossoneri have offered him a contract extension worth €5 million per year - a significant raise on his current €2.8 million salary - but the France international is demanding a massive €8 million. No player at San Siro earns anything close to that figure. As a result, the Serie A leaders are already evaluating who could replace him if, as things stand, he leaves as a free agent at the end of the season.

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Names such as Real Madrid's Andriy Lunin, Parma's Zion Suzuki, Freiburg's Noah Atubolu and Cagliari's Elia Caprile have all been mentioned. But according to reliable Belgian transfer insider Sacha Tavolieri, Milan has now set their sights on a far bigger target: Alisson Becker.

One of the world's best goalkeepers over the past seven or eight years, Alisson will enter the final year of his Liverpool contract. Milan have already contacted his agent to express their interest, and the timing could suit both sides. The Brazilian will be approaching his 34th birthday, while Milan would be replacing one elite goalkeeper with another.

It also raises the separate question of how the Rossoneri have managed to lose two world-class keepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma in 2021, and now possibly Maignan, without collecting a transfer fee.

Liverpool, having signed Giorgi Mamardashvili as Alisson's long-term successor, are unlikely to demand a huge fee for a player with just one year left on his deal. That makes the operation potentially realistic and financially manageable for Milan.

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Over the past decade, Milan has often turned to veteran goalkeepers - Diego Lopez, Pepe Reina, Asmir Begovic, Ciprian Tatarusanu, and more recently Antonio Mirante and Pietro Terracciano. Yet only Diego Lopez arrived as a clear first-choice option. Alisson would represent a far different level altogether, and an ideal response should Maignan decide to walk away.