According to reports from Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, Paulo Fonseca is the leading candidate to take over at Milan next season. Stefano Pioli looks set to leave the club this summer, with the Rossoneri looking to take things in a new direction.
Three Portuguese tacticians have been linked with the role, but Di Marzio reports that leading the pack is Fonseca, the current Lille coach, with Marcelo Gallardo and Sergio Conceicao also in consideration, albeit with less prominence at the moment.
According to the report, Fonseca perfectly fits the criteria set by the Rossoneri: he’s not one to centralize power, and he maintains balance both on and off the field. Milan are keen on these attributes in addition to technical prowess.
However, any decision is postponed until next week, following the conclusion of Ligue 1. Lille’s final fixture against Nice on Sunday night will be crucial for their Champions League qualification hopes. After this decisive match, Fonseca, despite being out of contract, will meet with the club to bid farewell.
At this point, the Portuguese manager will have to decide on his future. In the coming days, he will also engage in discussions with Marseille, who have offered him a three-year deal with considerable autonomy in decision-making. Nonetheless, Fonseca has stated that he will make his decision at the end of the season. Milan, fervently pursuing his preference, hope to sway him in their direction.
Nevertheless, Milan are keeping other options warm. One avenue leads to Marcelo Gallardo, former River Plate coach, for whom extensive inquiries have been made. The other possibility involves Conceicao, although there has been no significant progress in negotiations over the past few days.
