Amorim's agreement with Milan could ease Manchester United's financial burden
MANCHESTER – Rúben Amorim's expected return to coaching could have an immediate financial effect far from San Siro. According to reports by British and Portuguese media published on June 15, 2026, the Portuguese coach has agreed to take over AC Milan on a contract until 2028, with the possibility of extending it for another season. Although by June 16, 2026, an official announcement from Milan was not visible in the club's latest posts, multiple sources state that the agreement is in its final stage and that formal confirmation from the ownership structure is awaited. For Manchester United, this is not just sporting news about a former coach, but also a potentially important item at a time when the club is trying to reduce costs and stabilize operations.
According to The Guardian, Amorim's new role at Milan should reduce Manchester United's obligation toward him and members of his coaching staff, because the English club would no longer have to bear the full amount of the compensation package linked to the termination of cooperation. Manchester United has already recorded an exceptional cost of £16.7 million in its latest business report, which, according to the official statement by Manchester United Plc, arose primarily because of the departure of the former head coach of the first team and part of his coaching staff. In the same report, the club also cited an additional loss of £5.2 million on the write-off of intangible assets connected with previously capitalized costs for Amorim and certain members of the staff.
An agreement still awaiting formal confirmation
The Portuguese daily A BOLA reported that the agreement between Milan and Amorim was concluded for two seasons, until 2028, with an option to extend. The same source states that Amorim is expected to earn €3.5 million net per season at Milan, along with bonuses linked to winning the Italian championship title and qualifying for the Champions League. According to that information, the 41-year-old coach is awaiting final approval from Milan owner Gerry Cardinale and the RedBird Capital Partners fund before traveling to Italy and signing the contract. That wording leaves room for caution: the agreement, according to the available information, has been reached, but the official status can be considered final only after the club's announcement.
The Guardian reported that Amorim is expected to succeed Massimiliano Allegri on Milan's bench, after a season in which the Rossoneri finished fifth in Serie A and failed to qualify for the Champions League. Such an outcome triggered broader personnel changes at the club. According to the same report, after the unsuccessful season Milan carried out a clean-out at the top of the sporting sector and management, with sporting director Igli Tare, chief executive Giorgio Furlani and technical director Geoffrey Moncada leaving, along with Allegri. Because of this, Amorim's expected arrival in Italy is not viewed only as the appointment of a new coach, but as part of a broader attempt to reshape the sporting project.
For Milan, the choice of coach is especially sensitive because the club is entering a season in which it must rebuild its competitive identity and return to the fight for places leading to the Champions League. According to A BOLA, among the reasons why Amorim became an attractive solution was also the fact that he was without a club, unlike some other candidates for whom compensation would have been required. The Portuguese paper mentions that Matthias Jaissle, the Al Ahli coach, was also considered in the final stage, but his departure from the Saudi club would have required financial compensation. In such a context, Amorim emerged for Milan as a coach with a recognizable idea of play, international experience and no need for negotiations over compensation with another club.
Why Milan matters for United's books
The financial dimension of the story for Manchester United stems from the way in which terminations of coaching contracts are handled in professional football. When a club dismisses a coach and staff before the expiration of a contract, a compensation package is often agreed, and the coach's later engagement at a new club can affect the final amount the former employer must pay. In this case, The Guardian states that United will not have to pay the full package of £16.7 million once Amorim is employed again. The exact amount of possible savings has not been officially published, so one can speak only of an expected reduction in the financial obligation, not of a confirmed final amount.
Manchester United Plc's official business report for the third quarter of fiscal 2026, ended March 31, shows why every reduction in costs matters. The club reported exceptional items of £16.7 million for that quarter linked to the departure of Amorim and part of his coaching staff. The same document stated that total operating expenses in the quarter amounted to £179.1 million, which is £17 million more than in the same period of the previous year. Such figures show that coaching changes in modern football are not only sporting decisions, but also significant financial events.
At the same time, Manchester United is also recording positive shifts in its business figures. According to the official report, operating profit for the nine months to March 31, 2026 amounted to £37.7 million, compared with an operating loss of £3.2 million in the same period of the previous year. The club stated that the results were supported by cost-reduction measures and better sporting results from the first men's team. Sky Sports, analyzing the same figures, highlighted that adjusted EBITDA for the nine months rose to £187.5 million, from £145.3 million a year earlier, but also that the club still carries a significant debt burden.
Stabilization after a turbulent period
Amorim arrived at United with a reputation as one of Europe's most promising coaches, built primarily at Sporting, but his tenure at Old Trafford ended earlier than expected. According to reports by British media, Manchester United dismissed him in January 2026, after a period in which results and relationships within the sporting project did not meet the board's expectations. Sky Sports states that after his departure the team under Michael Carrick achieved a visible upturn in results and secured third place in the Premier League, which also brought the club qualification for the Champions League. Such a resolution additionally changed the financial picture of the season, especially through estimates of revenue from television rights and European competition.
According to Manchester United's official report, revenue from television rights in the third quarter amounted to £64.9 million, which is 57.1 percent more than in the same period of the previous year. The club linked that growth to the estimate of a better final position in the Premier League for the 2025/2026 season and to the higher value of the latest international cycle of Premier League television rights. At the same time, matchday revenue fell to £42.2 million, which is 5.2 percent less than a year earlier, because United played three fewer home matches in that quarter. These contrasting figures show how closely sporting results, the competition calendar and commercial revenues are connected in the business model of major clubs.
Despite more positive indicators, the report confirms that United continues to operate under the burden of long-term and short-term obligations. Manchester United Plc stated that outstanding U.S. borrowings as of March 31, 2026 amounted to $650 million, unchanged compared with the same date of the previous year. The report also states that short-term borrowings amounted to £262.5 million, while cash and cash equivalents amounted to £60.9 million. In such circumstances, reducing obligations toward a former coach is not a decisive financial turnaround, but it can be a useful relief within the broader process of cost control.
Milan seeks a new beginning after a disappointing season
For AC Milan, Amorim's potential arrival comes at a moment when the club is trying to respond to the consequences of missing out on the Champions League. According to The Guardian, Milan finished the season in fifth place in Serie A, which was not enough to qualify for Europe's elite club competition. Such a result reduces sporting prestige, but also affects revenue from European appearances, bonuses and commercial contracts. For that reason, the choice of coach also has an economic dimension: returning to the Champions League is one of the key goals for a club that relies on global recognition and revenue from the international market.
Amorim's profile may be attractive to Milan because in his previous clubs he was associated with a clear tactical structure, player development and work in a system that demands intensity without the ball and quick transitions after winning possession. Still, his spell at Manchester United also showed the risks of moving from a more stable environment to a club with enormous pressure, intense media scrutiny and a complex decision-making hierarchy. Milan finds itself in a similarly demanding space: supporter expectations are high, result deadlines are short, and the club project is going through personnel renewal. Because of that, Amorim, if the appointment is confirmed, will have to quickly align his own working methods with the playing squad and the new sporting structure.
A BOLA states that Milan is also working in parallel on reconstructing the management side of the sporting sector and that Markus Krösche of Eintracht Frankfurt is mentioned as an important target, along with Timm Hardung. The Guardian, meanwhile, reported that Milan wants to bring in Pedro Ferreira, Nottingham Forest's head of scouting, as part of a broader restructuring. These reports show that the coaching decision is not being made in isolation, but as part of an attempt to create a new operating model. For Amorim, such a development could be important because coaches with a clear footballing idea often depend on the quality of the sporting director, the scouting network and long-term planning of transfer windows.
Savings do not erase the risks, but they create room
United's possible saving on Amorim's compensation package does not mean that the club's financial problems have been solved. The official data show the simultaneous strengthening of some revenues and the continuation of high obligations, while the costs of sporting decisions from previous seasons continue to burden the accounting picture. Still, every smaller burden can help the management at a time when decisions must be made about wages, transfers, contract renewals and the overall structure of the squad. According to Sky Sports, better results under Carrick and a return to the Champions League create a more favorable basis for the summer transfer window, but the club still has to pay attention to the balance between ambition and financial discipline.
For Amorim, Milan could be an opportunity for a professional reset after a difficult period in England. According to Portuguese sources, after leaving Manchester United the coach considered the possibility of a longer break, but Milan's call led him to change his plans. If the appointment is officially confirmed, he will take over a club with great history, but also with clear pressure to return quickly to the Champions League. For Manchester United, on the other hand, his return to the bench of another club could close part of the financial tail after the unsuccessful appointment and allow the management to focus on a new phase under Carrick.
Until Milan's official announcement, the story remains in the category of a highly likely, but still formally unconfirmed coaching transfer. According to the available information, the main outlines have already been set: Amorim has agreed a contract until 2028 with an option for an additional season, Milan is seeking a new beginning after failure in Serie A, and Manchester United expects a reduction in obligations that have already left a visible mark in the financial reports. Precisely for that reason, the news from Milan has broader significance than the mere change on the bench: it links the coaching market, the accounting of a major English club and the attempt of one Italian giant to re-establish sporting stability.
Sources:
- The Guardian – report on Rúben Amorim's agreement with Milan, the contract, the possible reduction of Manchester United's obligations and changes at Milan (link)
- Manchester United Plc / Business Wire – official statement on financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 and exceptional costs connected with the departure of Rúben Amorim (link)
- A BOLA – Portuguese report on the agreement between Milan and Amorim, the duration of the contract, salary, bonuses and waiting for final approval from the owner (link)
- Sky Sports – analysis of Manchester United's financial results, the effect of Amorim's departure, improvement in results under Michael Carrick and the debt situation (link)
- AC Milan – official club website, used to check the latest club announcements available on June 16, 2026 (link)