AC Milan head coach Gennaro Gattuso is trying to persuade Leonardo Bonucci to stay, as he heaped praise on the captain amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
Bonucci moved to the San Siro last season but the veteran defender’s future in Milan is uncertain, with PSG and Juve reportedly circling.
French champions PSG have been linked to Bonucci, while former club and Serie A holders Juve have emerged as a possible suitor – reports claiming Gonzalo Higuain could be used in a swap deal to re-sign the 31-year-old centre-back.
Asked about Bonucci ahead of Wednesday’s International Champions Cup clash against Manchester United in Los Angeles, Gattuso told reporters: “Future? I do not know.
“A great professional, always the first to lead the group. I hope he can stay, he is a valuable player with a great mentality. When a player expresses a desire, the coach and those working in a group must do everything possible to persuade him to stay.
“Agonistically, we must think about the pros and cons. If the player asks explicitly, we need to tackle the subject.”
Milan have bolstered their squad with the signings of Ivan Strinic, Pepe Reina and Alen Halilovic in the off-season.
There could be further business before the transfer window shuts as Gattuso said: “I think the club knows the roles that are missing to strengthen the team. They know it, I have reiterated it, but I think the most important thing is to take players who can help the team and improve it.
“The club will make choices, economically they’re is very strong. We know the things that must be done.”
Italian side AC Milan had their one-year ban from European football overturned only four days ago.
Uefa had issued the punishment after deciding Milan had breached a Financial Fair Play requirement to break even after spending £200m on transfers.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) partially upheld the club’s appeal and asked Uefa to issue a more “proportionate disciplinary measure”.
The Italians are now free to play in this season’s Europa League.
Milan had qualified for the group stages of the competition after finishing sixth in Serie A.
The Italian club was owned by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi from 1986 until it was sold to a Chinese consortium for 740m euros (£648m) in April 2017.
The club then spent £200m on players in the summer of 2017, bringing in Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus for £35.1m and Andre Silva from FC Porto for £33.6m. It was the first time since 2002 the club had broken the £30m barrier for a player.
Cas said that, while Uefa was correct in ruling that Milan had failed to meet the break-even requirement, “some important elements have not been properly assessed … or could not be properly assessed” when the decision was made.
It said that the club’s financial situation was now better.