Ruben Amorim joins AC Milan, halves salary to leave Manchester United

Ruben Amorim will be AC Milan’s next manager. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, confirmed by Fabrizio Romano on Monday, Milan’s board has concluded a verbal agreement with the Portuguese manager, three weeks after removing Massimiliano Allegri — sacked notably due to the club’s failure to qualify for the next Ligue des Champions.

Amorim, dismissed by Manchester United on January 5, is set to sign a contract running until 2028, with an option to extend until June 2029. To join Milan, he agreed to a significant financial sacrifice: his salary will drop from €7.5 million at Manchester United to €3.5 million, a 50% cut. He is also waiving the final year of salary still owed to him by Manchester United under his contract, which ran until 2027.

The former Sporting Portugal manager is unlikely to arrive in Lombardy alone. AC Milan is also close to recruiting Markus Krösche, current sporting director of Eintracht Frankfurt, to restructure its sporting hierarchy. According to Fabrizio Romano, the two deals are directly linked: Amorim’s arrival and Krösche’s form a broader project backed by Milan’s leadership.

This recruitment reflects AC Milan’s desire to rebuild on solid foundations after a disappointing season. Allegri, appointed urgently in October 2024 to replace Paulo Fonseca, had failed to turn the club around or secure European qualification in the Ligue des Champions. Amorim arrives with a reputation as an innovative manager, built notably during his years at Sporting Portugal, but also carrying the weight of a difficult spell at Old Trafford.