Milan aims to steal Ukrainian Lunin from Real Madrid with Modrić's help
Andrii Lunin may move to Milan thanks to Luka Modrić (photo: Getty Images)
Italian giant Milan is showing strong interest in Real Madrid and Ukraine national team goalkeeper Andrii Lunin. The key intermediary in a possible transfer could be Real Madrid legend Luka Modrić, who may persuade the Ukrainian to change clubs and become the main goalkeeper for the Rossoneri. This was reported in a post by well-known insider Ekrem Konur on X (Twitter).
Lunin on the Rossoneri radar
According to the insider, Milan's management considers the 26-year-old Ukrainian an important reinforcement for the goalkeeping line for next season.
Despite remaining a backup at Real Madrid, Lunin is highly valued for his potential and the experience he has gained at one of the world's best clubs.
The Ukrainian has played for Real since 2018, although for most of this time he has served as a substitute, which may become a key argument in favor of a move.
In the current season, Andrii has played only one match for Los Blancos in the Champions League against Greek side Olympiacos, in which Real won 4:3.
Modrić factor and the high price
The most unexpected aspect of the potential transfer is the involvement of former Real Madrid player and current Milan midfielder Luka Modrić.
According to the source, the Croatian midfielder, who was previously Lunin's teammate, may use his influence and personal relationship to convince the Ukrainian to agree to a move to Italy, where he is promised regular game time.
In any case, negotiations for Lunin's transfer will be extremely tough from a financial standpoint.
The Ukrainian's current contract with Real runs until the end of June 2030, giving the Madrid club a strong negotiating position. And the sums involved are substantial.
Transfermarkt values the goalkeeper at €18 million. But according to Konur, the real price of the keeper is around €25-30 million.
Why Lunin's transfer to Milan is logical
Milan's current first-choice goalkeeper is one of the best in the world: 30-year-old Frenchman Mike Maignan.
Maignan, whose contract runs until 2026, is the undisputed leader of Massimiliano Allegri's team. However, his name constantly appears in transfer rumors involving clubs willing to pay huge sums (for example, Bayern). If Milan receives a worthy offer for Maignan, the club may agree to a sale.
Lunin, despite his reserve role at Real, remains one of the most sought-after figures on the European transfer market.
Among the clubs that have recently shown or continue to show interest in the Ukrainian, besides Milan, are Inter, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester United.
And although the Ukrainian currently trains alongside some of the best players in the world, the lack of game time prevents him from fully realizing his ambitions, in particular, being the number one goalkeeper in the national team, where he currently loses competition to Anatolii Trubin, who is the first choice at Benfica and maintains constant match fitness.
