Milan regret as Premier League clubs chase Italy midfielder Doumbia
Quick summary
AC Milan reportedly regret letting midfielder Doumbia leave, with Premier League clubs now in pursuit of the Italian talent.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceMilan could come to regret missing out on Issa Doumbia, with the Italy midfielder now attracting interest from several Premier League clubs after a flying start at Sporting.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb , Max Allegri and Igli Tare identified the 22-year-old as the ideal addition to Milan’s midfield last April. They liked his ability to win the ball back, drive forward and arrive in the box. The move fell through when both men left the club in the summer, and Allegri even tried to take Doumbia with him to Napoli, but ran out of time.
BOLOGNA – OCTOBER 05: Gianluca Scamacca of Italy celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with Issa Doumbia and Daniel Maldini during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Italy and Türkiye at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on October 05, 2026 in Bologna. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Sporting beat Milan and Napoli to Doumbia Sporting instead signed the midfielder from Venezia for €20m plus €6m in add-ons. He is tied down until 2031, with an €80m release clause that becomes active next July.
Nicknamed ‘the Octopus’ since his days at AlbinoLeffe, Doumbia scored eight goals and provided six assists as Venezia won promotion to Serie A last season.
He has wasted no time making an impression in Portugal. His first goal for the club sealed a 2-0 Champions League win at Lens on Tuesday, days after he made his first Italy start against Turkiye.
Tuttosport warns that he could end up a far more expensive regret than the €26m Sporting paid, with Premier League sides already watching closely.
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What happened
AC Milan are said to be experiencing regret over their decision to part ways with midfielder Doumbia, whose performances have attracted attention from clubs in the Premier League. The Italian midfielder has emerged as a sought-after prospect, and Milan's willingness to let him go is now being questioned as suitors line up. The situation highlights Milan's ongoing challenge of retaining young talent amid growing competition from England's elite clubs.
Chance analysis
Milan losing track of a young Italian midfielder to Premier League interest has become a familiar theme in the modern transfer market, where English clubs' financial power often outpaces Serie A's traditional giants. Doumbia's rise underscores how quickly a player's stock can change after a departure, and Milan's reported regret suggests internal evaluation of their youth and squad-building strategy. If a Premier League move materializes, it would be another example of the Premier League pulling top Italian talent across the channel, a trend with long-term implications for the competitiveness of Serie A's development pipeline.
Milan face renewed scrutiny over their talent retention strategy, while Doumbia's stock rises as Premier League clubs circle.