Amorim Targets Mazraoui for Milan Rebuild

Ruben Amorim has barely settled into his new office at Milanello, yet his gaze is already drifting back towards Old Trafford.

The Portuguese coach, appointed last month to succeed Massimiliano Allegri, is pushing to reshape Milan in his own image and, crucially, with some of his own men. Top of that list is Manchester United’s versatile defender Noussair Mazraoui.

Amorim’s Milan rebuild points to Old Trafford

According to reports in Italy, relayed by Metro Sport, Amorim has made it clear to the Milan hierarchy that Mazraoui is a player he greatly admires and would like to bring to San Siro. It is not a casual preference. It is targeted.

The Morocco international has quietly become one of United’s most dependable squad players since arriving from Bayern Munich in 2024 for £17 million. Seventy-seven appearances later, his value is obvious: he can operate across the backline, offers balance in possession, and plugs gaps in a squad that has often looked disjointed.

That flexibility is exactly what appeals to Amorim as he tries to accelerate Milan’s transition. But prising Mazraoui away from Manchester will not be straightforward.

A shortlist hit by injury and resistance

Amorim’s plan to raid his former club has already taken a hit.

Manuel Ugarte, whom he previously coached at Sporting CP before taking him to Manchester, had been high on Milan’s list. The Uruguay midfielder was seen as a cornerstone signing, someone to anchor the new project. A serious injury at the World Cup shattered those hopes and effectively removed him from the summer equation.

The roadblocks do not end there. United, determined not to weaken their own rebuild, are said to be unwilling to entertain offers for Mason Mount or Amad. Both are considered important to their medium-term plans, and any Milan approach is expected to be dismissed before it even reaches the negotiation stage.

So the spotlight intensifies on Mazraoui.

Mazraoui: admired, but not yet available

Transfer expert Matteo Moretto has underlined the extent of Amorim’s admiration, while also cooling talk of an imminent move. Speaking on Fabrizio Romano’s YouTube channel, he stressed that Mazraoui is firmly on the manager’s wish list, but that the clubs have not opened formal talks.

“Noussair Mazraoui is one of Amorim’s favourites,” Moretto explained, adding that there are currently no negotiations or direct contact between Milan and United. The 28-year-old is under contract until 2028, with an option, which hands United a strong position at the table if and when Milan come knocking.

For now, the story sits in that familiar transfer limbo: a manager’s clear approval, a player admired, a club watching. The real test will come later in the window, when Milan decide whether to turn appreciation into a concrete bid and United decide how much they are prepared to risk altering their own defensive structure.

Old praise, new context

Amorim’s interest in Mazraoui is not a sudden whim born out of desperation. During his time at Old Trafford, he spoke openly about the defender’s qualities, sketching out a profile that fits exactly what he now wants at Milan.

“He’s a top player. He understands the game. He knows how to attack, he’s very technical, he’s very good defensively and he’s very good one-on-one. He’s a modern player. I think he’s the future of our team,” Amorim said shortly after taking over at United, lauding Mazraoui’s ability to control the tempo and remain comfortable on the ball.

Those words, uttered in a different dugout and under different pressures, now echo in a new context. At Milan, Amorim needs defenders who can build play, compress space, and switch seamlessly between roles. Mazraoui ticks every box he has already drawn in public.

A coach chasing evolution, not repetition

Behind all of this lies Amorim’s own determination to change. His 14-month spell in the Premier League ended badly, and he has been candid about the need to evolve.

At his Milan unveiling, he admitted that fully explaining his mistakes in England would require unpacking the entire “last adventure”. What mattered more, he said, was that he had learned from it and accepted where he went wrong.

This Milan project is his reset button. The pursuit of Mazraoui, and the attempt to surround himself with trusted players from his past, speaks to a coach trying to refine his ideas rather than rip them up.

Whether United allow Mazraoui to become a pillar of that reset is another battle entirely.