Tuttosport writes that the end of Modrić's Milan episode is approaching: the decision on continuing cooperation is entering its final phase
The cooperation between Luka Modrić and AC Milan, according to new claims by Italy's Tuttosport reported by specialized football portals, is moving ever closer to an end after only one season at San Siro. The Italian newspaper states that the 40-year-old midfielder does not intend to extend his contract with Milan and that the club, according to this information, has already been informed of his position. This is a development that has not yet been officially confirmed either by the player or by the club, but it comes at a moment when Milan is finishing a disappointing season and entering a period of making important sporting and financial decisions.
Modrić arrived at Milan in July 2025 after leaving Real Madrid, and AC Milan then officially announced that he had signed a contract until 30 June 2026, with the possibility of extending it for another season. Such a contract structure left room for the cooperation to continue until the summer of 2027, but at the same time it meant that the final decision would be made after an assessment of the sporting project, his role in the team and personal circumstances. According to earlier reports by Tuttosport, the decision was supposed to depend both on Modrić and his family, but also on Milan's plans for the new season.
In the meantime, Milan's season did not develop in the direction the club had hoped for. According to the official Serie A table, Milan finished the 2025/26 season in fifth place with 70 points, behind Inter, Napoli, Roma and Como. Such an outcome means that the Rossoneri did not qualify for the Champions League, but remained in the qualification zone for the Europa League. For a club that entered the season with a clear ambition to return to the top of Italian football, fifth place and absence from the elite European competition represent a serious blow.
One-year contract with an extension option
On 14 July 2025, AC Milan officially confirmed Modrić's arrival, emphasizing that the Croatian midfielder had signed a contract until 30 June 2026 with an option to extend it until 30 June 2027. In the announcement, the club highlighted his career, his beginnings in Zadar and Dinamo, his years at Tottenham and the great period at Real Madrid. The arrival of the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner also carried symbolic weight: in Modrić, Milan got a player who had marked European football over the last decade and a half, but also a professional whose experience was expected to help the team in a transitional period.
According to available information, the extension option did not automatically mean that the cooperation would continue without additional talks. Such contractual models in football often depend on the assessment of the sporting department, the coach's plans, the player's physical condition and personal priorities. In Modrić's case, additional weight is added by the fact that he turned 40 in September 2025, which means that every decision on continuing his career also includes a broader personal context. Tuttosport previously wrote that the midfielder was still showing quality for performing at the highest level, but that the final decision would not be an exclusively technical matter.
The new claims by the same Italian medium, according to which Modrić will not extend his contract, change the tone of a story that had been open in previous months. Back in March and April, Italian media wrote that there was room for talks about staying, especially if Milan finished the season near the top and secured the Champions League. After the end of the championship, the circumstances are different: the club remained fifth, the season ended without the desired sporting step forward, and in Italy there is increasing talk about changes in the coaching and management part of the sporting sector.
The season that changed the calculation
Milan finished the championship with a record of 20 wins, 10 draws and 8 defeats, with a goal difference of 53:35, according to official data from the club and Serie A. At first glance, this is a points total that would have been enough for the Champions League in some seasons, but in the closing phase of the competition the Rossoneri failed to keep a place among the top four teams. Particularly notable was the final defeat by Cagliari at San Siro, reported by the Italian media, because after it Milan remained outside the Champions League zone. After the final round, Football Italia highlighted that Inter, Napoli, Roma and Como had qualified for the Champions League, while Milan and Juventus remained behind them.
Such an epilogue is also important for Modrić's future because a player of his profile, in the final phase of his career, naturally considers the ambition of the project in which he participates. According to earlier Tuttosport reports, staying was more realistic in a scenario in which Milan would be at the top or at least in the Champions League. Absence from that competition does not automatically mean the end of the cooperation, but it changes the financial, sporting and psychological framework in which the decision is made. Milan now has to plan a squad for the Europa League, the domestic championship and probably another reconstruction of the team.
For the club, the question of Modrić's stay is also connected with balance in midfield. The experienced midfielder can bring control of rhythm, calmness in possession and authority in the dressing room, but planning the new season also requires an assessment of intensity, physical demands and the long-term development of younger players. If it proves true that Modrić is leaving, Milan will have to find a way to replace not only his minutes on the pitch, but also the organizational influence that a player of such status has in the team's daily work.
Modrić's status remains exceptional, but the decision is not yet official
Although Tuttosport claims that Modrić's decision is definitive, it is important to emphasize that as of 26 May 2026 no official confirmation has been published by AC Milan regarding termination, non-activation of the option or farewell. In such situations, the difference between media claims and official status is not a formality. Until the club or the player announces the final decision, the contract is valid until 30 June 2026, and the possibility of extension until 2027 remains part of the originally announced agreement.
Modrić's position in European football remains special. After leaving Real Madrid in 2025, he ended a period that lasted 13 seasons and during which he became one of the most important midfielders in the club's history. In Madrid, he was part of a team that won the Champions League, domestic trophies and international recognition, while he achieved his individual peak by winning the Ballon d'Or in 2018. His arrival at Milan was therefore not an ordinary veteran transfer, but an attempt by a big club to obtain, in a transitional period, a player who understands the pressure of the highest competitive standard.
During the season, Italian media often emphasized that Modrić, even at the age of forty, could play at a high tempo. Still, the difference between individual quality and club results proved decisive for the overall assessment of the season. Milan did not achieve the goal that had publicly been marked as a priority, and Massimiliano Allegri, during his presentation in July 2025, spoke about the ambition to fight for the highest goals and return to the Champions League. When such a goal is not fulfilled, decisions about older players, expensive contracts and sporting direction become part of a broader reassessment.
Milan ahead of a new transitional period
In recent years, Milan has often been a club caught between ambition and reconstruction. After winning the Italian league title in 2022, the Rossoneri sought a stable path toward a new cycle, but they faced changes in the team, coaching staff and sporting sector. The arrival of Igli Tare in the management structure and the return of Massimiliano Allegri to the bench were supposed to mark the beginning of a clearer project. Now, after fifth place, that project is being reassessed again.
According to reports by Italian and British media, after the end of the season information also appeared about the search for new coaching solutions and Milan's possible interest in Andoni Iraola. These reports further show that the club is entering a period in which decisions will not be made only about Modrić, but also about the overall direction of the first team. If there is a change of coach or more significant squad cuts, the question of the 40-year-old midfielder's stay will be only one part of a much wider puzzle.
For Milan, absence from the Champions League is also important because of revenue. Participation in UEFA's elite competition brings significantly greater financial opportunities than the Europa League, and this is reflected in the budget for wages, transfers and keeping experienced players. Although clubs often present decisions exclusively through sporting arguments, the economic context cannot be ignored. In such circumstances, the management must decide whether it wants to keep a player profile like Modrić or open space for younger and more profitable long-term options.
What departure would mean for Modrić
If it is confirmed that Modrić is not staying at Milan, the next question will be whether the player will continue his career, where he could play and what role he wants in the final phase of his professional journey. According to available information, there is currently no official announcement about his next club or about a possible end to his career. Because of that, any claim about a new destination would be premature without clear confirmation. What is known is that Modrić is still an active footballer under contract with Milan until the end of June 2026.
His decision will not be only sporting. At this stage of his career, family, health, motivation, role in the team and level of competition are important. Throughout his career, Modrić has been known for professionalism and physical readiness, but even the fittest players in their forties must carefully choose the environment in which they can maintain their standard. If Milan cannot offer a project that convinces him, parting ways would be a logical outcome, even if the initial idea was for his stay at San Siro to last longer than one season.
For the Croatian national team, whose long-time captain and symbol of the most successful generation Modrić is, every decision about his club future also has indirect significance. The club in which he plays determines the rhythm of matches, the level of workload and the quality of preparation for national-team obligations. Still, regarding his national-team status at this moment there is no new official information that would be directly connected with the alleged departure from Milan. Therefore, it is more precise to speak about a club decision that could influence the broader plan for the final phase of his career.
Tuttosport's turn from a possible stay to the announcement of a parting
It is particularly interesting that the tone and context of Italian reports changed in only a few weeks. In April, some portals that follow Milan reported Tuttosport's thesis that Modrić could stay if Milan achieved a top result and confirmed an ambitious project. At that time, it was emphasized that the Croatian midfielder had shown that he could still respond to the demands of Serie A, but that the decision would be connected with family and sporting plans. After the end of the season and the missed Champions League, the same source now writes that a parting is increasingly likely.
Such a development does not necessarily mean that there has been a sudden change in the player himself. It is possible that the circumstances simply changed: Milan did not achieve the goal, the future of the coach and squad seems uncertain, and the financial framework for next season is not the same as it would have been with the Champions League. In professional football, decisions on continuing cooperation often mature throughout the entire season, and the final result of the championship only confirms the direction that was already emerging. That is precisely why media reports now sound more decisive than before.
For Milan fans, Modrić's eventual departure would be the end of a short but high-profile episode. His arrival carried great reputational value and recalled periods in which San Siro attracted the biggest names in world football. However, modern Milan cannot rely only on symbolism. After another season without the desired step forward, the club must build a team that will have a clear hierarchy, physical stability and the ability to fight for the top four places from the beginning to the end of the championship.
Official confirmation is awaited
Until an official announcement, Modrić's status remains formally unchanged: the player belongs to Milan until 30 June 2026, and the contract contains the possibility of extension for another season. According to Tuttosport, that option will most likely not be activated, but the final weight will come only with a statement from the club, the player or his representatives. In the meantime, Italian media will continue to follow Milan's moves on the market, the coaching situation and decisions about experienced players.
For Modrić, parting with Milan would mean closing another chapter in a career that has already marked European football. For Milan, it would be a sign that reconstruction is entering a new phase, after a season in which it became clear that the experience and reputation of individuals are not enough for a return to the Champions League. Considering that the transfer window is approaching and the season ended on 24 May 2026, the decision about the Croatian midfielder will probably have to be clarified quickly, so that both the club and the player can plan the next step.
Sources:
- AC Milan – official announcement on Luka Modrić's signing, contract duration and extension option (link)
- AC Milan – official Serie A table for the 2025/26 season with Milan's record and placement (link)
- Lega Serie A – official Serie A Enilive 2025/26 table (link)
- Football Italia – overview of the final Serie A 2025/26 standings and the clubs that qualified for the Champions League (link)
- GOAL Italia – report of Tuttosport's claims that Modrić does not plan to extend his contract with Milan (link)
- MilanReports – earlier report of Tuttosport's claims about Modrić's possible stay depending on Milan's sporting project (link)
- AC Milan – presentation of Massimiliano Allegri and the club's ambitions for the 2025/26 season (link)