‘A New Chapter’—Luka Modric Sends First Message to New Employers

The veteran Croatian had been linked to Inter Miami but ends up staying in Europe.

Luka Modrić was spotted in Milan on Monday morning. | IMAGO/LaPresse

The worst-kept secret in football has finally been confirmed by AC Milan’s official channels; Luka Modrić will represent the Rossoneri during the 2025–26 campaign.

The iconic Real Madrid midfielder tearfully revealed his departure from the Spanish capital at the end of last season. “The time has come,” he wrote in an emotional post. “The time I never wanted to come, but that’s football, and in life everything has a beginning and an end.”

After reportedly failing to strike an agreement with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, the Swansea City co-owner has stayed within Europe’s elite to join historic Italian giants Milan.

“Ciao everybody,” Modrić told the club’s social media followers. “I just landed in Milan. Very happy to be here to start a new chapter in my career. A big hug to everyone.”

One week earlier, incoming manager Massimiliano Allegri had effectively confirmed the marquee deal. “Modric will arrive in August,” Allegri told assembled media upon his appointment at Milan. “He is an extraordinary player.”

Milan have not been an extraordinary team for a while. The 19-time Serie A champions slumped to a lowly eighth-placed finish last season. A side taken over mid-season by Sérgio Conceição somehow conspired to squander automatic promotion to the Champions League round of 16 and get dumped out of the play-off round by Feyenoord before losing the Coppa Italia final to Bologna, a club without a major trophy to its name in 51 years.

The summer window has been dominated by more outgoings than incomings thus far. Milan lost their midfield hub Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City while the talismanic left back Theo Hernández was belatedly persuaded to accepted Al Hilal’s riches. Allegri has been able to welcome the talented Samuele Ricci from Torino, but Modrić’s arrival, even as he approaches his 40th birthday in September, is seen as a major boost.

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