Ruben Amorim on the verge of taking over Milan: Portuguese coach close to a new beginning at San Siro
Milan, June 15, 2026 – Ruben Amorim is expected to return to coaching and take over AC Milan after a period without a job following his departure from Manchester United in January. According to reports by The Guardian and the Portuguese daily Diário de Notícias, the 41-year-old Portuguese specialist has reached an agreement with the Milan club on a contract until June 2028, with the possibility of extending the cooperation for another season. The same sources state that the completion of formalities is expected during this week, while the club's official confirmation had not yet been published at the time this text was being prepared. Amorim is expected to succeed Massimiliano Allegri on the bench, as Allegri is leaving after a season in which Milan failed to qualify for the Champions League. For the club from San Siro, this is a move that should mark the start of a broader sporting rebuild after the final part of the season was judged unsuccessful.
Agreement until 2028 and the possibility of a third season
According to the Portuguese Diário de Notícias, Amorim is expected to sign a two-year contract, and the agreement includes an option to extend it until June 2029. The Portuguese outlet also states that a salary of around 3.5 million euros net per season was mentioned in negotiations, along with additional bonuses linked to results and Champions League qualification. The Guardian also reported that Amorim accepted a two-year cooperation with an option for a third year and that his main task will be to return Milan to the top of Serie A and European football. Since Milan's official announcement was still not available at the time of writing, certain details of the contract and the composition of the coaching staff remain subject to final confirmation. According to the available information, the coach is expected to arrive in Milan in order to complete the administrative steps before his presentation.
For Milan, the choice of Amorim is also important because of the profile of the coach the club is bringing in. He is a specialist who built his reputation at Sporting, where, according to the Lisbon club's own announcement, the team under his leadership won the Portuguese championship title in 2024. When appointing him in 2024, Manchester United stated that Amorim had won two Portuguese league titles with Sporting, the first of which was the club's first title after 19 years. That track record was one of the reasons why Amorim was considered one of the most sought-after young coaches in Europe before moving to England. At Milan, he should now get the opportunity to rebuild that reputation after a difficult period at Old Trafford.
Milan after missing out on the Champions League
Milan enter their new coaching story after a season in which they remained outside the places leading to the Champions League. According to the table published on AC Milan's official website, the club finished the 2025/26 Serie A season in fifth place with 70 points, behind Inter, Napoli, Roma and Como. Such an outcome is particularly painful because Milan, according to a Football Italia report quoting the club statement, entered the final phase of the championship with the aim of returning to the Champions League and creating the foundations for a stable fight at the top. The defeat in the final round against Cagliari further strengthened the impression of a missed opportunity, and the club then began an extensive reorganization of the football department. The same announcement stated that, along with Allegri, CEO Giorgio Furlani, sporting director Igli Tare and technical director Geoffrey Moncada also left the club.
According to that club statement, the ownership structure assessed the end of the season as an unequivocal failure in relation to the set objectives. Milan spent much of the season near the top of the standings, but a weaker finish changed the overall assessment of the campaign. In such a context, the appointment of a new coach cannot be seen only as a replacement on the bench, but as part of a broader decision to change the way the sporting project is managed. The Guardian states that after the failure in the fight for the Champions League, Milan cleared out several key positions in the club and that Amorim could be the central part of the new cycle. This means that quick results will be expected from him, but also the longer-term construction of a team capable of withstanding the pressure of Serie A and European competitions.
Allegri's end and the demanding San Siro bench
Massimiliano Allegri is leaving Milan after a season that did not fulfil the club's ambitions. The Italian coach returned to the bench with great expectations, but the final placement outside the Champions League was too great a blow for the project. According to reports from Italy, the management concluded that a change of direction was needed, especially because Milan lost control in the final stretch over the position that would have brought them Europe's most elite competition. San Siro remains one of the most demanding benches in Europe: the club has a rich history, a large fan base and high expectations, but in recent seasons it has often faced the need to align sporting ambitions with financial discipline. The new coach will therefore not only have the task of improving the play, but also of restoring confidence in the project.
Amorim comes into such an environment with a clear coaching identity, but also with the experience of a sudden fall in reputation in England. At Sporting, he was recognizable for structured play, intensity and a system that requires high tactical discipline from the players. At Manchester United, however, that model failed to stabilize to the extent expected by the club and the fans. According to United's official announcement from November 2024, Amorim arrived then as a coach with a contract until June 2027, with the possibility of extending it for an additional year. His departure as early as January 2026 showed how quickly the atmosphere in big clubs changes when results and relationships within the structure do not follow the initial expectations.
What Amorim can bring to Milan
Amorim's coaching rise in Portugal was based on a combination of a clear formation, high organization and the development of players who were given precisely defined roles. When appointing him, Manchester United described him as one of the most exciting and highly regarded young coaches in European football, referring precisely to his work at Sporting. In 2024, the Portuguese club announced that under his leadership it had won its 24th national championship title and that the team had held the top of the standings for a long period during that season. For Milan, such a profile could be attractive because, after an unsuccessful finish, the club needs a coach who can introduce a clearer competitive framework. In practice, this will mean decisions on the squad, the status of the existing key players and the profile of reinforcements that should fit the new system.
According to the Italian newspaper Quotidiano Nazionale, even as a player Amorim spoke about his affection for Milan and the generation marked by Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard. Such statements have symbolic value, but results will be decisive for his job. Milan are not in a situation in which they can build a project without pressure because missing out on the Champions League brings both sporting and financial consequences. Returning to that competition means higher revenues, greater appeal in the player market and greater stability in season planning. That is precisely why Amorim, if the appointment is confirmed, would have to combine a long-term idea with the short-term imperative of finishing near the top from the very first day.
Financial benefit for Manchester United
Amorim's return to the bench could also have consequences for Manchester United, the club that dismissed him in January. According to The Guardian, his new engagement at Milan would mean that United would no longer have to bear the full amount of the compensation package provided after the termination of the cooperation. Manchester United's official financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 state that exceptional items in that period amounted to 16.7 million pounds, primarily due to costs related to the departure of former men's first-team coach Ruben Amorim and certain members of his staff. This does not necessarily mean that the entire amount would immediately disappear from the accounting picture, but the coach's new job can reduce the actual obligation that the English club would have toward him and his associates. For that reason, the potential Milan engagement is also viewed in England through a financial lens.
In the same financial report, Manchester United also pointed out that the men's first team finished the season in third place in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League for the 2026/27 season. The club stated that Michael Carrick, who took over the team after Amorim's departure, continued as head coach with a new contract until 2028. These data show that United managed to recover in sporting terms after the change on the bench, but also that the price of earlier coaching changes remained visible in the business results. In that sense, Amorim's move to Milan would be a rare case in which a former coach's new employment directly affects the financial obligations of his previous club. For United, this is additionally important in a period in which the club publicly emphasizes cost reduction, greater operational discipline and compliance with financial rules.
Risk and opportunity for both sides
For Amorim, Milan is an opportunity to return to the elite European context, but also a risk because he is coming to a club that has just gone through internal changes and a disappointing end to the season. His work at Sporting showed that he can build a team with a clear identity, but the experience at Manchester United raised questions about adaptation to leagues and environments with a different level of pressure. Serie A could offer him space for more tactically detailed work, but Milan's expectations will not be lower than those he had in England. The club will demand from the new coach a return to the Champions League, competitiveness against Inter, Napoli, Roma, Juventus and other rivals, and the stability that was absent in the final stretch of the previous season. If the agreement is confirmed, Amorim will already have to take part in key decisions on the reconstruction of the team this summer.
For Milan, choosing Amorim is a message that the club wants a coach with a modern profile and a clear idea of play, and not merely a transitional solution after Allegri. According to the available information, the contract until 2028 shows that this is not a short-term appointment, but an attempt to create a new cycle. Still, the length of a contract at big clubs is often less important than the first results, especially when the previous season ends with the loss of a place in the Champions League. Official steps are expected in the coming days that should confirm whether Amorim will indeed become Milan's new coach and who will accompany him in the coaching and sporting departments. Until then, the fact remains that, according to several relevant sources, an agreement has been reached, and San Siro is preparing for the start of another ambitious rebuild.
Sources:
- The Guardian – report on the agreement between Ruben Amorim and Milan, the duration of the contract, Allegri's departure and the possible reduction of Manchester United's obligations (link)
- Diário de Notícias – Portuguese report on the agreement, the planned contract until 2028, the extension option and the financial framework (link)
- AC Milan – official Serie A 2025/26 table with Milan's fifth-place finish (link)
- Football Italia – report and quoted parts of the club announcement on the departures of Massimiliano Allegri, Giorgio Furlani, Igli Tare and Geoffrey Moncada (link)
- Manchester United plc / Business Wire – official financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 and data on exceptional costs related to Amorim's departure (link)
- Manchester United – official 2024 announcement on the appointment of Ruben Amorim and his then contract until 2027 (link)
- Sporting Clube de Portugal – official announcement on the Portuguese championship title won under Ruben Amorim's leadership in 2024 (link)
- Quotidiano Nazionale – Italian report on Amorim's expected arrival in Milan, financial details and earlier statements about Milan (link)