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In an interview with RTP, Rafa spoke again about the transfer, even speaking at San Siro: "If it were to happen, I would leave happy to have contributed to taking the club where it deserves to be." In the ranking of the best coaches he had, two names were mentioned.

Rafa Leao has never given as many interviews as he has these days. And in every interview now, he talks about his possible departure from AC Milan. The last one was actually two days ago, but it only gained attention in Italy today. Leao spoke to RTP, the Portuguese TV channel that filmed him in a deserted San Siro stadium. The key quote: "I've already achieved what I wanted to achieve with AC Milan. In football, you can never say never; you never know what the future holds, but if it were to happen, I'll leave here very happy, satisfied to have helped bring the club where it deserves to be."

RTP asked Leao who the best coach he had in his career was, and Rafa responded: "I would have liked to have been coached by Jorge Jesus for longer. He was a coach who bet on me. I think he was the best coach I've ever had, after Stefano Pioli."

Leao also talks about his family, a subject he's always held dear: "God gave me the gift of being able to play at a good level and help my family." In the same report, his mother speaks, reconstructing a special moment: "When I saw Rafa had been called up for the World Cup, I screamed." The World Cup in Portugal starts in a week, and Rafa's build-up has gone poorly. The good news is that he has time to recover and will play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo: "I believe winning the World Cup is the ultimate achievement for every footballer," he told RTP. "There's nothing more important than winning a big competition like the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo is an idol and will always be. He'll be an idol for my children too, and he's an idol for my brother too. It's spectacular to play with him."

The reality is that it won't be easy to find a solution that satisfies everyone. Leao is on the market, but AC Milan is changing, and it's not easy to know who will make the transfer decisions while a sporting director is awaiting the appointment. An offer capable of convincing Rafa and the club will be needed. Galatasaray is the most convinced at the moment. They've offered Leao a €10 million per season contract and haven't yet spoken to AC Milan. Fenerbahçe, on the other hand, have backed away after their initial interest. A decision will be made after the World Cup.

There are still many issues to clarify regarding AC Milan's future, but it's clear that, as the transfer window (June 29th) and the new season (July 1st and then the training camp on the 13th) approach, time is increasingly limited and a decision must be made. Regarding the role of technical director, it's no secret that Cardinale wants Ralf Rangnick. However, the German is currently the head coach of Austria and is busy with the World Cup: furthermore, the Austrian federation wants to keep him at all costs.

Josef Pröll, president of the Austrian Football Association, spoke about the future of Ralf Rangnick, AC Milan's eagerly sought coach: "We want to keep him; he knows the terms. We await his decision in the coming days or weeks. He and I know what we feel for each other, because we communicate very openly. I am very optimistic that he will choose Austria. It's clear that financially we cannot compete with a major international club. Nevertheless, we are convinced that we have built an attractive overall package with the national team."

The Austria coach is waiting for a response from Cardinale before the start of the World Cup: if it doesn’t go through, one idea is Planes, former Barça executive. The former Crystal Palace manager, after the meeting with Cardinale and Ibra, seems enthusiastic.

It may be the last Sunday (perhaps) with the club’s sporting and technical structure still empty. Milan is about to make its decisions. Or at least two of the most important ones: the appointment of a new technical director and a new head coach. At Casa Milan, the instruction is not to rush, because these decisions will be important not only for next season, but also for the club’s future. That’s why Cardinale, who has taken a hands-on role in this spring-summer rebuild, intends to evaluate carefully. Time, however, is starting to run short, and the candidates in Milan’s casting process are waiting for an answer.

The Austria national team coach has spoken twice with RedBird founder Cardinale, Ibrahimović, and Calvelli. He has said he is willing to join Milan’s project, but has set several conditions: the choice of the coach, the sporting director, the football philosophy for the youth sector, and the scouting staff. A full “package deal,” including a large number of his own people—well into double digits. In addition, a non-negotiable demand: broad decision-making power. In other words, the ability to choose players without having to clash with Ibrahimović, who is not an official Milan employee but a partner of Cardinale in RedBird and his advisor. And this point is exactly where Rangnick wants clarity.

Austria, already working in California, has offered its coach a contract extension until Euro 2028, and the federation president made this move public on Friday (“We want him for another two years”). Rangnick now wants to put an end to the situation, with a yes or no from Milan, who have contacted him. He does not want to go into the first meeting—ten days from now, the opponent will be Jordan—with uncertainty. If an agreement with Milan is reached, managing the World Cup could become difficult, he knows this as well, which is why Austria is hoping for the extension. The alternative to Rangnick is Ramón Planes, former Barcelona executive.

As head coach, Rangnick has suggested Glasner, but even if the German’s move to Casa Milan were to fall through, the former Crystal Palace manager would still have a chance of taking the Rossoneri bench. People close to Glasner describe him as enthusiastic about the possibility of coaching the first big club of his career. That is why he was not disappointed that Bayer Leverkusen, which had shown interest in him, chose Carles Martínez Novell instead.

Glasner arrived at Tuesday’s meeting with Cardinale and Ibrahimović having studied Milan’s squad in depth, explaining how he would like the team to play. In his mind, he has already embraced the new project and is waiting for Milan’s official approval. Otherwise, he will devote himself to his beloved golf in Mallorca and wait (from a top club) for a mid-season call. Milan’s alternative is Pochettino. Like Rangnick, however, the US national team coach also has the “problem” of the World Cup.

The Austria coach is expecting a call from the Rossoneri by the start of the week and wants Spors as sporting director and Vivell as head scout. Glasner has had a positive meeting with the Rossoneri management. Rangnick or not, the Pochettino option is also considered.

Ralf Rangnick left for the United States without having defined his future one way or the other. Austria sent him an unequivocal message: they would like to renew his contract before the start of the World Cup (the first match against Jordan is on the 17th), but the coach is waiting for a call from AC Milan. Not forever, however, and in fact, he confided to those who work with him that the deadline is set for the beginning of next week: either in or out... from the Rossoneri. Oliver Glasner's situation is different. After Tuesday's six-hour meeting with Cardinale and Ibrahimovic (who reappeared at Casa Milan yesterday), he has the advantage over Pochettino (Pulisic publicly praised the US coach: "He's a coach who brings a lot of energy") to take the Rossoneri bench. With or without Rangnick, who has named Glasner as the first coach on his list.

Rangnick isn't a man who lets himself get distracted: he's worked hard to bring Austria back to the World Cup, and he expects zero distractions from his team. At the same time, however, he doesn't want to be the one to cause distractions, and even though he dismissed AC Milan's interest in him in a few words at the press conference ("My only contact is the Austrian Federation"), rumors about his future at Milanello aren't going away. The only way is to put an end to the flirtation with Cardinale and his men.

Therefore, by the beginning of next week, the Austrian coach expects Casa Milan to approve the conditions he's set for the Rossoneri, starting with the appointment of collaborators he absolutely trusts in the club's sporting department: the first option for the role of sporting director, for example, is Johannes Spors, currently at Southampton. He's also German, having previously played for Genoa in Italy during the 777 Partners era. It's believed that Spors, in agreement with the chosen coach, will be leading the negotiations for the signings while Rangnick is overseas for the World Cup. Naturally, the "package" would also include youth coaches, head scout Christopher Vivell, now at Manchester United, and other collaborators to immediately bring the German's philosophy to Milan. Vivell has been with Rangnick since the early days at Hoffenheim, starting as a video analyst. He then followed him to the Red Bull galaxy, first to Salzburg, then to Leipzig, in increasingly senior roles.

Taking on the "Rangnick package," needless to say, is a significant commitment in terms of the players to be signed and the money to be invested. Cardinale is currently deciding whether to go down this path, especially since Vergine and Kirovski are already planning the future of the youth team and the Under-23s.