Milan ready to refund season ticket holders

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has promised to reimburse angry season ticket holders after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva were sold.

On Wednesday, Sweden striker Ibrahimovic followed the highly-rated Brazilian defender Silva to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.

Vocal sections of Milan fans, already disillusioned by the perceived weakening of the squad, have also criticised a club poster that advertised season-ticket renewals by featuring the now departed duo.

On Saturday, Italian consumer society Codacons went as far as to threaten a class action against the Serie A runners-up.

Representative Marco Maria Donzelli told Il Giorno: “We intend to collect applications from fans who want to cancel their season tickets with Milan and get a full refund.

“It is clear that a fan subscribes to the campaign in order to see their team’s star players, and then these stars are sold. They have every right to claim their money back.

“It is like a circus advertising elephants and lions on the ticket and then there aren’t any.”

Galliani responded by telling reporters: “Milan is prepared to reimburse any season tickets belonging to those who are unhappy with the transfer campaign this summer.”

Further to the sales of Ibrahimovic and Silva, chairman Silvio Berlusconi has sanctioned the release of veterans Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta and Filippo Inzaghi.

Meanwhile, Montpellier yesterday told Milan they will have to raise their initial offer for centre-half Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa significantly for the transfer to be completed.

L’Equipe reported last week Milan had tabled an offer in the region of €6 million and negotiations were at an advanced stage but the Ligue 1 champions are expecting higher figures for their player.

“Yanga-Mbiwa will not leave,” Montpellier chief Louis Nicollin said.

“This is clear as day. In order to have advanced negotiations with Milan, we would need to have an agreement. We don’t have an agreement, so there are no advanced negotiations.

“I know that they offered around €6m, but even triple that would not be enough.”

Yanga-Mbiwa has only one year left to run on his Montpellier contract.