GdS: Rejecting Fiorentina and Galliani’s discount – how Bondo ended up at Milan | OneFootball

Warren Bondo was one of three deadline day signings that AC Milan made, and some details have emerged regarding how the move came about.

La Gazzetta dello Sport write how there was a moment, in the negotiations between Milan and Monza for Warren Bondo, in which Adriano Galliani heard a voice inside himself. Giorgio Furlani had just called him, in the late afternoon of the last day of the transfer market, saying: “Give me Bondo.”

It gets even better. Furlano asked: “My predecessor, give me Bondo.” Because Galliani and Furlani often, jokingly, call each other like this: “my predecessor”, “my successor”. From here, we need to take a step back.

Galliani has always considered Bondo a strong player, a player for whom he would ask €20m and, perhaps, accept €15m. It is no coincidence that Monza in this transfer window had rejected an approach from Fiorentina, with his old coach Raffaele Palladino wanting him.

Milan, six hours before the end of the transfer window, understood that Ismael Bennacer wanted to leave for Marseille. He was at odds with Sergio Conceicao and pushed to depart, so they were forced to quickly try and find a replacement.

At that point, Furlani called Galliani and Galliani, faced with a request from Milan, threw up his arms. “You can’t say no to Milan,” he said more or less openly. Thus, the deal was done for €10m plus €2m in bonuses, with Bondo very happy to go and play at San Siro.

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Galliani’s choice is partly the result of his affection for the team of his life, the one of which he was CEO, deputy vice president and soul. Partly, it comes from his consideration of the role of Monza, which cannot compete with the big clubs and knowing they help in the development of players to then sell on.

In just a few years, Monza have had the likes of Carlos Augusto, Di Gregorio, Daniel Maldini and Bondo, bought by Inter, Juve, Atalanta and Milan, the four teams that play in the Champions League. Galliani is certainly proud of this.

The final scene of this story is in the future, it has yet to happen. Fast forward to Wednesday night: Milan will play against Roma in the Coppa Italia and Bondo will be a Milanista for the first time in his new stadium, albeit cheering from the stands due to a slight physical problem.