Milan face €10m hurdle for Krösche after Rangnick snub

AC Milan have been forced to reconsider their plans for the technical director position after Ralf Rangnick decided to extend his contract with the Austria national team. The Serie A side had been widely expected to appoint the former Red Bull executive, but a breakdown in negotiations has left them searching elsewhere. Now, reports from Italy suggest that Eintracht Frankfurt's Markus Krösche has emerged once again as a leading candidate to take charge of the sporting department at San Siro.

Krösche has reportedly made his conditions clear to Milan: he wants complete authority over the club's sporting direction, including the power to hire his own staff. This mirrors the demands that Rangnick had put forward before talks collapsed. The German is said to be keen on bringing Eintracht Frankfurt's Timmo Hardung with him to serve as sporting director, a move that would reshape the club's hierarchy.

However, prising Krösche away from the Bundesliga side will not come cheap. Eintracht Frankfurt are reportedly holding out for a compensation fee in the region of €7.5m to €10m, should Milan decide to pursue his signature. The German club are determined not to let their technical director depart without a significant financial return, especially given his importance to their recent success.

Milan's current management void stems from a major clear-out at the end of the 2025-26 season. The club parted ways with head coach Massimiliano Allegri, sporting director Igli Tare, technical director Geoffrey Moncada and chief executive Giorgio Furlani all on the same day. Since then, the Rossoneri have struggled to finalise a new structure, with the Rangnick saga drawing out for weeks before its eventual collapse.

The delay in making a final decision on Rangnick is believed to have been the decisive factor that led to the Austrian's withdrawal. He had been keen on a swift resolution but, with no definitive answer forthcoming before the 2026 World Cup, he opted to commit his future to the national team instead. Now, Milan must move quickly to secure a replacement or risk further instability in the boardroom.

With Krösche back in the spotlight, the coming days could prove critical for the Rossoneri's long-term planning. Whether the club are willing to meet Frankfurt's demands and give the German the full control he seeks remains to be seen, but the alternative may be a protracted search for another candidate in a market where top football executives are in short supply.