The 39-year-old Croatia captain confirmed in May that he would bring an end to a 13-year spell at the Spanish giants once the tournament in the United States is concluded. And Allegri confirmed news of his new club, returning for a second spell as Milan manager after Sergio Conceicao’s departure.
The 57-year-old stated at his first press conference: “Modric will arrive in August. He is an extraordinary player. Modric has made five cameos from the bench for Real in the Club World Cup, including the 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund that paved the way for Wednesday’s semi-final against Paris St-Germain.
The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner has accumulated 28 honors, including six Champions Leagues and four La liga titles, at Real since a transfer from Tottenham in 2012. Modric is interested in playing in the 2026 World Cup and wishes to play at the top level again next year to improve his chances.
Having secured an eighth-place finish in Serie A last year, Milan offloaded midfielder Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City last month, while left-back Theo Hernandez has been rumoured to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal. But Allegri, who guided the Rossoneri to a Serie A championship in 2011 in his initial four-year stint as manager, still hopes to have keeper Mike Maignan and striker Rafael Leao in his team next campaign.
Chelsea made an approach for France keeper Maignan at the start of this summer, but failed to match the Italian club’s estimate of around £25m. Although Reijnders and Hernandez will not be with the team next year, Maignan and Leao appear keen to remain here,” Allegri added, whose team will begin their championship schedule at home to Cremonese on 23 August.
