BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – MAY 04: Ardon Jashari #30 of Club Brugge KV lifts the Croky Cup trophy after Club Brugge KV defeated RSC Anderlecht 2-1 in the Croky Cup Final at King Baudouin Stadium on May 04, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
Milan are closing in on a deal to bring Ardon Jashari to San Siro in a permanent deal from Club Brugge, but how will he affect the Rossoneri line-up, and what does his signing mean for the team’s Champions League hopes?
According to recent reports in Italy, Milan have an agreement in principle to sign Jashari from Club Brugge in a permanent deal worth €34m plus up to €3m in bonuses.
If the deal does go through, then Jashari will likely become Milan’s fifth new addition of the summer transfer window, following the previous arrivals of Luka Modric, Samuele Ricci, Pervis Estupinan and Pietro Terracciano.
The Rossoneri, meanwhile, are also closing in on a deal for right-back Zachary Athekame from Young Boys and remain interested in a deal for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
How could Milan line-up with Jashari?
The addition of Jashari means that Massimiliano Allegri will have brought in an entire new midfield this summer, along with Italy international Ricci and former Ballon d’Or winner Modric. They add to a department that already included Youssouf Fofana, Yunus Musah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Warren Bondo.
New head coach Allegri has used a back-three system in all three of his pre-season friendlies to date: a 5-4-1 for the 1-0 loss against Arsenal in Singapore, and a 3-5-2 for victories over Liverpool and Perth Glory.
Both, however, still used a three-man midfield, like Sergio Conceicao and Paulo Fonseca did for the most part last season as well.
With Jashari likely to be added to the Rossoneri roster, he could theoretically line up in a midfield department with Ricci and one of the aforementioned Modric, Fofana, Musah or Loftus-Cheek, whether that be in a 5-4-1, a 3-5-2, a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1.
Can Jashari help Milan towards Champions League success?
Milan will not be involved in Champions League action, nor any European competition for that matter, after finishing the 2024-25 season in eighth place in Serie A. While waiting for the return of Champions League action, supporters can check out the latest offerings from Hotwin.
However, much like last season’s Scudetto winners, Napoli, a lack of European commitments will help Milan focus primarily on the league, and ideally a return to the Champions League for 2026-27.
New signing Modric, however, insists that Milan cannot be satisfied with Champions League qualification alone: “We remember Milan as one of the best teams in the world. We mustn’t be content just with a mediocre season or qualifying for the Champions League,” the 39-year-old said during his introductory press conference.
“That is my vision of Milan, but we must also be humble, work hard to get the team back to the highest level. I am very competitive and I want to bring this to the team.”
“The minimum objective is to qualify for the Champions League, but Milan must also fight to win trophies. It is my objective, and must be for anyone who works at Milan.”
With Jashari soon to come on board, Milan will have genuine options in depth in midfield, which could be key for a return to Europe’s premier competition next season.
