Milan are increasingly desperate to offload striker Divock Origi, but he continues to reject offers from Saudi Arabia as another issue emerges with his cost to the club.
The Belgian international arrived as a free agent last summer after his contract with Liverpool expired.
He was injured for much of it, although he managed to contribute two goals and one assist in 36 competitive games for the club.
Now 28, he is not part of the Rossoneri’s plans for this season and has already been linked with a return to the Premier League at West Ham United or in Saudi Arabia for Al-Ettifaq.
Because he was a free agent, Milan are prepared to let Origin leave even for minimal fees, as the important thing is to get his wages off the financial books.
His contract lasts until June 2026 and is worth 4 million euros per net season.
Milan were initially helped by the ‘growth decree’ which allows clubs to pay only 50 percent of the taxes on players coming to Italy from abroad.
However, this only applies if the player stays on Italian soil for at least two consecutive years.
However, selling Origi would still be a huge saving over the length of his contract of around €13.3m.