AS Monaco intend to make 30 player sales this summer
Les Echos report that Ligue 1 side AS Monaco are seeking to make a whopping 30 player sales this summer, as it looks to massively decrease the number of 1st team players on the club books ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
ASM have the 3rd largest budget in the division, but will be without European football for a second consecutive season.
The combination of AS Monaco VP Oleg Petrov, Director Viacheslav Ivanov and Sporting Adviser Igor Korneïev do not have any notable football experience, especially not with Ligue 1. And Monaco are still without Sporting Director, despite interviewing multiple candidates, including Amiens SD John Williams, who recently announced he would be remaining with the Picardy side.
Ex-Angers General Manager Olivier Pickeu is another profile that is interesting to Petrov. A whopping 60 professional players are expected to turn up at pre-season, scheduled at the moment for 15th June.
Their ambition is to make €50m in sales this summer, with owner Dmitry Rybolovlev having turned the heat up on Petrov to achieve Champions’ League qualification next season, according to Les Echos.
ASM need to sign a defensive midfielder and an attacker. The coaching staff is concerned that Stevan Jovetić, Pietro Pellegri and William Geubbels are simply not reliable in terms of their fitness. Leicester City want rid of Islam Slimani, who earns €4.5m a year – Monaco are waiting to see whether or not they attempt to make an offer to sign him permanently. The player was very disappointed with the departure of Leonardo Jardim for Robert Moreno halfway through the season, and is unlikely to make ASM his priority.
In terms of players returning from loan spells, Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray), goalkeeper Radosław Majecki (Legia Warsaw), right-back Giulian Biancone and central defender Jonathan Panzo (Cercle Brugge) and centre-back Strahinja Pavlović (Partizan Belgrade) are all expected to be integrated in the club’s 1st team for next season.
Defensive midfielder Kévin N’Doram is in talks to join RC Lens or FC Metz permanently, with winger Samuel Grandsir expected to head out the exit door shortly, having received approaches from Brest, Burnley and several Spanish sides.
For the majority of deadwood however, ASM are going to have a difficult time shifting players on – there is little to no obvious interest in Djibril Sidibé, Antonio Barreca, Nacer Chadli, Pelé, Youssef Ait Bennaser and Jean-Eudes Aholou.
Even more complicated will be the situations of Kamil Glik, Jemerson and Jorge, who are on very sizeable wages. Cesc Fabregas also has another two years remaining on his current contract, worth €7.2m a year.
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AS Monaco would prefer not to sell a handful of players in their current squad, but unfortunately they are the individuals are most sought after: defender Benoît Badiashile, attacker Wissam Ben Yedder, full-back Benjamin Henrichs, midfielder Youssouf Fofana and left-back Fodé Ballo-Touré.