For months, AC Milan have been actively searching for capable hands to handle an executive role at the club.
It hasn’t been a smooth ride.
The club looked at some of the biggest names in Italian football.
Fabio Paratici was close to taking the role, but legal issues ended that pursuit.
They also considered Igli Tare, who previously worked wonders at Lazio.
Tony D’Amico of Atalanta was on the radar too.
So were Giovanni Sartori from Bologna and Giovanni Manna of Napoli.
But with none of those options working out, Milan have now changed direction.
And the man currently leading the race is someone with experience in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, and even Saudi Arabia.
Someone who knows what it means to work under pressure and has spotted top talents across Europe.
And for Liverpool fans, he’s a familiar name.
Lee Congerton, the former Liverpool staff member under Gerard Houllier, is now the frontrunner for the sporting director role at AC Milan, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and other sources in Italy.
Congerton started his executive career with Wrexham before joining Liverpool’s coaching staff in 2002.
He later moved to Chelsea, where he worked under Jose Mourinho and eventually became chief scout.
His eye for talent became well known when he followed Frank Arnesen to Hamburger SV in 2011 and signed a young Hakan Calhanoglu — now starring for Inter Milan.
The Welshman has also worked at Sunderland as sporting director, served as chief scout at Celtic, and held the same role at Leicester City between 2019 and 2022.
He returned to Italy with Atalanta from 2022 to 2024, where he helped sign reigning African Player of the Year, Ademola Lookman.
Right now, he’s working with Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League.
He’s been their sporting director for 14 months and is credited with signing Galeno and Ivan Toney — two of their star players.
According to Gazzetta, Milan are still considering other names, but Congerton is now the “frontrunner” and a final decision is expected “soon after the close of the 2024-25 season.”
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