Ruben Amorim Targets Noussair Mazraoui for Milan Rebuild

Ruben Amorim has barely settled into his new office at Milanello, yet his gaze is already drifting back across Europe – towards Old Trafford and a defender he knows inside out.

Amorim’s Milan rebuild starts with a familiar name

Appointed last month to succeed Massimiliano Allegri, the Portuguese coach is pushing to shape Milan in his own image, and that process, according to reports in Italy, could begin with a move for Noussair Mazraoui.

Per Metro Sport, Amorim has told the Milan hierarchy that the Morocco international is high on his wish list. It is not a casual endorsement. It is targeted, deliberate, and rooted in history.

Mazraoui, 28, has become a key figure at Manchester United since his £17m switch from Bayern Munich in 2024. He has racked up 77 appearances for the Red Devils, valued not just as a right-back but as a versatile presence capable of operating across the back line. In a Milan squad that has long searched for balance and flexibility in defence, that profile stands out.

United’s wall and Milan’s dilemma

The admiration is clear. The path to a deal is not.

United, already braced for a summer of speculation, are described as reluctant sellers on several fronts. The club are said to be unwilling to entertain offers for Mason Mount or Amad, closing off two other potential avenues for Milan as they look to exploit Amorim’s knowledge of his former squad.

The situation around Mazraoui is more nuanced. Transfer specialist Matteo Moretto, speaking on Fabrizio Romano’s YouTube channel, underlined both the coach’s interest and the current stalemate. He described Mazraoui as “one of Amorim’s favourites,” but stressed that no formal negotiations are underway and no direct contact has yet taken place between the clubs.

Mazraoui is under contract at Old Trafford until 2028, with an option attached. That security gives United leverage. Milan, for now, only have the manager’s approval and a clear idea of the player’s value to work with.

So the admiration is on record. The move is not. Not yet.

A long-standing conviction

Amorim’s pursuit of Mazraoui is not a knee-jerk reaction to his new surroundings in Serie A. His belief in the defender predates his Milan appointment and was public long before any Rossoneri interest emerged.

During his time at Old Trafford, the Portuguese coach spoke openly about Mazraoui’s importance and potential. He praised the Moroccan’s technical quality, tactical intelligence and ability to influence the rhythm of a game from deep.

“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.

Those are not the words of a coach who sees a squad player. They are the words of a manager who built part of his plan around a specific profile: a defender who can control tempo, handle the ball under pressure and adapt to multiple roles. It is exactly the kind of piece he now needs to slot into a Milan side in transition.

Targets lost, options narrowing

The push for Mazraoui also comes against the backdrop of other plans collapsing.

Manuel Ugarte, whom Amorim had coached at Sporting CP before taking him to Manchester, had been earmarked as a major target for Milan’s midfield. That idea has been shelved after the Uruguayan suffered a serious injury at the World Cup, ending any realistic prospect of a move this summer.

With Ugarte off the table and United resistant on Mount and Amad, the margin for manoeuvre tightens. Mazraoui, already trusted and fully understood by Amorim, becomes even more central to the manager’s thinking.

For Milan’s directors, the calculation is obvious: how far do they push, and how early in the window, for a player tied to a long contract at a club under no pressure to sell?

A coach chasing evolution, not repetition

Behind all of this sits Amorim’s own story. His arrival at San Siro is framed as a reset after a bruising 14-month spell in the Premier League, a period that ended with his departure from Manchester.

During his unveiling in Milan, he did not shy away from that chapter. He spoke of mistakes, of context he could not fully lay out, and of lessons that must now shape his work in Italy.

“The first thing is it’s hard to explain the mistakes because for that I would have to explain the context of the last adventure,” he admitted. “It’s hard to say to you every mistake. The only thing I can say is that I learned a lot and I made some mistakes.”

That learning curve now feeds into every decision. Every target. Every risk.

Mazraoui, then, is more than just a name on a list. He represents a type of footballer Amorim trusts, a cornerstone for the style he wants to impose at San Siro, and a test of how much Milan are prepared to back their new coach’s convictions in the market.

The admiration is clear, the need is obvious, and the window is long. The question now is whether Milan turn that approval into a bid – and whether United are prepared to let one of Amorim’s “modern players” walk out of Old Trafford to help relaunch his career in red and black.