Monza rejected Fiorentina approach for Bondo, but Galliani couldn’t say no to Milan | OneFootball

Monza reportedly turned down an approach from Fiorentina for midfielder Warren Bondo, who eventually joined Milan on deadline day, as CEO Adriano Galliani ‘couldn’t say no’ to his beloved Rossoneri.

It was a busy end to the transfer window for Milan, who officially announced the signing of Santiago Gimenez in the early afternoon, before securing deals for Joao Felix, Riccardo Sottil and Bondo.

Bondo’s deal came about late on in the day when it became clear that Ismael Bennacer would be on his way out to join Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille.

With a relatively light central midfield department, Milan were unwilling to let Bennacer go without having an adequate replacement lined up, which led them to Monza in order to secure a deal for Bondo.

The France youth international has signed a four-and-a-half year contract in a deal that cost Milan €10m plus around €2m in bonuses.

Galliani ‘couldn’t say no’ to Milan offer for Bondo

LECCE, ITALY – APRIL 27: Warren Bondo of Monza applauds after the Serie A TIM match between US Lecce and AC Monza at Stadio Via del Mare on April 27, 2024 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, there had been an approach from Fiorentina earlier in the January transfer window for Bondo, but Monza turned down that offer.

However, when it came to deadline day, there was reportedly a call between Monza CEO Galliani, who had previously held the same position for over 30 years at Milan, and his Rossoneri counterpart Giorgio Furlani.

The pair enjoy a good working relationship, and according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, often refer to each other as ‘my successor’ and ‘my predecessor’.

Though Monza had turned down previous approaches for Bondo in January, La Gazzetta claims that Galliani ‘couldn’t say no’ to his beloved Milan when they came knocking on deadline day.