Ruben Amorim leads Ibrahimovic’s preference to coach Milan.

Ruben Amorim is being positioned at the center of the restructuring of AC Milan, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic giving his approval for the Portuguese coach to take the helm of the rossoneri. The revelation promises to shake up the European coaching market and reignites international interest in the coach who led Sporting to a championship, at a time when the Milan club is internally debating the definitive end of Italian identity on the bench, following yet another European failure under Max Allegri’s management.

AC Milan, determined to embark on a new era, is currently undergoing a transformation, having already moved away from the tradition of hiring only Italian coaches. According to information released this Friday by Gazzetta dello Sport, the Milan management, led by Gerry Cardinale, is considering a variety of options for succession. Among the names mentioned is Oliver Glasner, former Crystal Palace manager and Europa League winner with Eintracht Frankfurt, who has reportedly turned down an offer from Feyenoord and is now awaiting a response from Milan, after being offered a two-year contract with an option for an additional year, and a salary between three and four million euros per year.

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Although Glasner is emerging as the favorite within the technical structure, the process is far from being finalized. Cardinale, the club’s owner and founder of RedBird — the group that owns Milan — is keen to personally conduct the interviews, accompanied by Massimo Calvelli and with the active, albeit remote, participation of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The former Swedish forward, a legendary figure at the club, sees Ruben Amorim as the ideal candidate to restore ambition and innovation to the San Siro emblem. The meticulous evaluation of candidates shows that Milan aims to avoid hasty decisions and ensure a coach capable of returning the club to the European elite.

The list of alternatives to Glasner reflects the ambition of the Milanese: Álvaro Arbeloa, despite his unremarkable track record as a coach, has been considered; Matthias Jaissle, currently at Al Ahli and a two-time Asian champion, is another profile under analysis, but his signing would require the payment of a six-million-euro release clause to the Saudi club. However, it is Ruben Amorim who is gaining traction behind the scenes, with unequivocal support from Ibrahimovic influencing the internal debate. The Portuguese coach, who won the national title with Sporting and revolutionized the Lisbon club’s football with his innovative approach, has reportedly been contacted by Milan, although, according to information advanced by A BOLA, he is inclined to take a sabbatical in the 2026/27 season — a factor that could weigh in the Italians’ final decision.

Gerry Cardinale’s strategy, however, is to first define the new technical director before officially appointing the coach. In this context, Ralf Rangnick, the current coach of Austria and a guaranteed presence at the 2026 World Cup, has long been one of the favorites to lead the sports project. The German continues to delay renewing with the Austrian federation due to Milan’s interest, and if he accepts the challenge, he could be decisive in the choice of coach, as he has a history of working together with Jaissle at RB Salzburg.

Questioned about the possibility of taking over as head coach of Milan, Ruben Amorim deferred any decision to the future, but close sources insist that “the Milan project is one of the few that could make Amorim reconsider his plans for a sabbatical.” For his part, Ibrahimovic has reportedly pressed internally for “Milan to invest in a young, dynamic, and ambitious leadership, capable of regenerating the club’s winning mentality.”

The uncertainty surrounding Milan’s next coach promises to shake up the coming weeks in European football, with the club betting everything on a complete break from its recent past. Should Ruben Amorim accept the challenge, it could mark the return of an excellent Portuguese school to one of the biggest stages in world football, rekindling the hopes of Rossoneri fans for a return to titles and the Champions League. The potential arrival of the Sporting coach in Milan would radically change the landscape of Italian football, opening doors to an innovative tactical approach in Serie A and placing Milan back among the major players in Europe.

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