Milan’s 10 biggest sales of all time

AC Milan are of the most recognisable clubs in European football and they have been a powerhouse in Italy for a long time.

The best team in world football during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Rossoneri have continued to pick up domestic and European titles into the 21st century, with some of the word’s best players pulling on the famous red and black stripes.

As well as signing some of the world’s best down the years, Milan have also sold some top talents for some huge transfer fees.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through Milan’s 10 biggest sales of all time.

10. Lucas Paqueta – €23m (to Lyon, 2020)

Touted as the next Kaka, Lucas Paqueta arrived at Milan for a huge fee from Flamengo in January 2019.

The Brazilian was 21 years old at the time, and the weight of expectation appeared too strong for him as he only lasted a season and a half at San Siro, scoring just one league goal in 37 games.

Lyon presented Paqueta with a new opportunity, and he joined the Ligue 1 club for €23m in 2020. The move was inspired and Paqueta earned a place in Brazil’s national team set-up during his time at the club before later moving on to West Ham.

He left Lyon to join West Ham United in 2022.

9. Krzysztof Piatek – €24m (to Hertha Berlin, 2020)

For a brief period of time, Krzysztof Piatek was one of European football’s most in-form strikers, striking fear into Serie A defences.

The Polish forward left his home country for Genoa in 2018 where he scored 13 goals in just half a season, earning an immediate move to Milan in the January transfer window.

Piatek scored a further nine league goals in the six months after making that move, but quickly lost his touch the following season, scoring only four times in 18 games.

That prompted another January move, with a loan switch to Hertha Berlin eventually becoming permanent for €24m in 2020.

8. Theo Hernandez – €25m (to Al-Hilal, 2025)

Theo Hernandez joined this list when he became the latest European superstar to join the riches of the Saudi Pro League in 2025.

The France international had been linked with a number of Premier League clubs during an eye-catching spell at San Siro, but he instead opted to join Al-Hilal for €25m after a bust-up with the club’s management.

Hernandez made 262 appearances across a six-year spell at Milan, scoring 34 goals and winning two trophies, including the 2021-22 Serie A title.

7. Malick Thiaw – €35m (to Newcastle, 2025)

Malick Thiaw spent three years at Milan following his arrival from Schalke and the Italian giants turned a healthy €23m profit on the defender via his sale to Newcastle.

Thiaw joined Milan after two impressive seasons in the Schalke first-team and despite never playing more than 2,000 Serie A minutes in a single campaign at Milan, Newcastle were convinced enough by his talent to pay €35m for his signature in 2025.

The Germany defender subsequently regained his place in the national team set-up following an excellent start to his career at St James’ Park.

6. Leonardo Bonucci – €35m (to Juventus, 2018)

In one of the most bizarre transfer ordeals in recent memory, Leonardo Bonucci left Juventus for Milan in 2017 in a shock €42m move.

Having formed an incredible defensive partnership with Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, Bonucci turned his back on the Old Lady and was immediately made captain of Milan.

Bonucci played 35 Serie A games and scored against Juve, but his stint at Milan was brief and ill-fated. The centre-half handed in a transfer request the following summer and he returned to Juventus for €35m, leaving Milan slightly red-faced and €7m worse off.

5. Thiago Silva – €42m (to PSG, 2012)

In the same window that Milan lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic to PSG, Thiago Silva made the same move for twice the price, arriving at Parc des Princes for a fee of €42m.

The Brazilian wore the captain’s armband for the Rossoneri but left the club as he reached his prime, continuing his development to become one of the world’s best centre-backs at PSG.

Silva had signed a five-year contract extension at Milan just two weeks prior to the transfer being completed and had affirmed his desire to remain at the club.

However, Carlo Ancelotti ultimately raided his former club and convinced Silva to join PSG, with the Brazilian spending eight years in Paris before a successful free transfer to Chelsea in 2020 where he won the Champions League.

4. Andriy Shevchenko – €43.9m (to Chelsea, 2006)

Ukraine legend Andriy Shevchenko was still in top form for Milan when he joined back-to-back Premier League champions Chelsea for €43.9m in 2006.

Milan signed Shevchenko as a 23-year-old from his boyhood club Dynamo Kiev, with a €24m fee indicative of the promise he was showing in his career at that early stage.

Shevchenko became one of the world’s best No.9’s during his time at San Siro but never matched it at Chelsea, scoring just nine Premier League goals in 48 games.

The Ukrainian would return to Milan on a one-season loan deal but he didn’t score in 18 games before finishing up his career back at Dynamo.

3. Tijjani Reijnders – €54.9m (to Man City, 2025)

Tijjani Reijnders became Milan’s third biggest sale of all time when he left the club to join Manchester City for a fee of €54.9m in June 2025.

The Netherlands midfielder spent just two years at San Siro before his move to the Premier League, but he established himself as one of the best players in Serie A during his short stint in Italy.

Reijnders scored 19 goals in 104 games for Milan, including 10 in his second and final Serie A season.

2. Sandro Tonali – €58.9m (to Newcastle, 2023)

This was a move that came out of the blue and blindsided the Rossoneri as boyhood fan Sandro Tonali surprisingly left the San Siro to join Newcastle United.

The midfielder was supposed to be the second coming of Andrea Pirlo, and was expected to spend the rest of his career with Milan, but the Magpies acted swiftly and brought Tonali to the Premier League in a deal worth €64m, a record for an Italian player.

However, just months into his time at Newcastle, Tonali was banned from football for 10 months after breaching betting rules. He returned to playing in August 2024 having missed the Euros with Italy.

1. Kaka – €67m (to Real Madrid, 2009)

Real Madrid went on an absurd spending spree in the summer of 2009, signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema and Kaka in a historic transfer window.

The latter arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu for €67m, a particularly large fee at the time, after six glory-filled years at Milan.

Kaka won Serie A and the Champions League at Milan, as well as the 2007 Ballon d’Or during his time at San Siro.

The Brazilian wasn’t quite as influential at Real Madrid, with Ronaldo taking centre-stage, and he eventually returned to Milan four years later, but he wasn’t the same player and the Rossoneri weren’t the same team.

The 10 biggest Milan sales of all time

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store.

Download here:

•App Store