The 2026-2027 Serie A season is about to start and everything has changed at AC Milan — a new manager, a new sporting director and a new strategy behind the summer transfer business. After the failure at the end of the 2025-2026 season when the Rossoneri ended up not clinching a Champions League spot and will be part of the Europa League this season, AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale shook up the club and completely changed the hierarchy, starting with a new coach and new CEO.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri, sporting director Igli Tare, and technical director Geoffrey Moncada, as well as club CEO Giorgio Furlani, all left their positions following the disappointment and Cardinale himself led the process to appoint a new coach alongside RedBird advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic and club director Massimo Calvelli.
While the new season is about to kick off, Brand Finance underlined some positive aspects of the cycle led by Cardinale, as the Italian giants are the fastest-growing football brand in the world between 2021 and 2026, with a 236% increase in brand value, ahead of Aston Villa, Porto, Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal.
The new coach: Ruben Amorim
While Cardinale held talks with different managers ahead of the new season, the American businessman ended up appointing former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese coach seemed immediately eager to start his Serie A adventure after the disappointment of the Premier League spell, as he was sacked by Manchester United following a poor start to the 2025-26 season, and replaced by Michael Carrick. Amorim is ready to embrace a new challenge in a new country after a successful spell at Sporting CP, where he won two Portuguese league titles, three League Cups and one Portuguese Super Cup before moving to Manchester United in November 2024.
Speaking to the media in his last press conference ahead of the new season, he said: “We have a squad capable of winning every match, in any competition. So, if we go step by step, we can achieve something significant. In the Europa League, we must believe and we must want to win the competition. Then there’s Serie A: We know we’ll face many teams who have been working with their coaches for a long time, so it will be difficult, but I can’t come here and say we can’t or don’t want to win the league. There’s a lot of work to do given there’s a new manager and changes to the squad, but when you’re at a club of Milan’s stature, you have to aim for the title”.
AC Milan’s financial transformation
Brand Finance underlined how AC Milan continued its strong financial and commercial growth under RedBird and Gerry Cardinale, with its brand value rising 28% year-on-year to a record €514 million. That increase moved the club from 16th to 14th among the world’s most valuable football brands, overtaking Juventus, while its 236% growth since 2021 makes it the fastest-growing football brand globally over that period.
The club’s wider financial performance has followed the same trend. Milan returned to profitability in 2022-23 after 17 years and has remained profitable for three consecutive seasons, while recording record revenues for three straight years. In 2024-25, revenue reached €494.5 million, more than 66% higher than in 2021-22, the final season before RedBird’s acquisition.
Deloitte’s figures further highlight Milan’s growth, with the club ranking first in Europe for commercial revenue growth (+28.1%) and stadium revenue growth (+39.6%), while sponsorship revenue surpassed €100 million for the first time in 2025/26. Overall, the numbers underline the significant financial transformation of the club under its current ownership and provide greater resources for its sporting ambitions.
The veteran and the new signings
The Rossoneri have invested heavily in the summer transfer window to strengthen the squad ahead of the new season. With just a few days remaining before the market closes, Amorim can count on three major additions: defender Mario Gila, signed from Lazio for around $25 million; Gonçalo Ramos, who arrived from PSG for approximately $75 million, making him the most expensive signing in the club’s history and Diego Moreira, who is about to join from Strasbourg for around $70 million.
Apart from the new signings, AC Milan will also count again on Luka Modric, who will turn 41 in September. Despite the chances to see him retire after the 2026 World Cup, the Croatian legendary midfielder decided to keep going for another season at AC Milan, as he said in a recent interview to Milan TV: “I played for the biggest club in the world, Real Madrid, but I feel like Milan is at the same level. Those who talk about Milan do so differently than other clubs. And when you come here, you understand why: it’s one of the top clubs in the world, the people who work there make it great, the fans. I understood why Milan is so great. I have the feeling of having been here for so many years and this makes me give everything I have. It’s wonderful to have experienced these feelings. The fans’ love is the most important thing for me: if that’s there, it’s easy to make other decisions. You feel like everyone wants you, that you keep playing. This is the place I want to be and it’s the reason why I’m here.”
