Tare reveals Milan's attempt for Akanji: rejected because of the Champions League

At the microphones of Sky Sport Unplugged, the former sporting director of Milan Tare revealed a transfer market backstory regarding Akanji, the Swiss defender who later joined Inter in the summer of 2025.

“At the end of the transfer window we tried to sign Akanji and bring him to us, but the fact that we weren’t playing in the Champions League played an important role: he refused because of that. It was also a bit difficult for us because we changed formation five days before the end of the transfer window, and numerically we were in great difficulty finding a quality player. But we were also a bit unlucky, first with him and then with Gomez from Liverpool.”

According to Tare, the failure to qualify for the Champions League was the decisive reason for the defender’s refusal. Milan also found itself in a complicated situation in terms of numbers, having changed formation just a few days before the close of the transfer window.

The former Rossoneri sporting director then added a second regret, mentioning the failed negotiation for Gomez from Liverpool, confirming a complicated summer transfer window for the club.