Al-Nassr are monitoring Mike Maignan's situation at Milan, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, as the Saudi side search for a new goalkeeper to replace Bento.
The interest lands at a moment when the relationship between Maignan and the club looks cooler than it once was. He signed a renewal at the end of January that ties him to Milan until 2031, yet Gazzetta report he began looking elsewhere almost immediately, with a second straight season outside the Champions League doing nothing to settle him.
The summer has added to the friction. Gazzetta point to a disappointing end to last season, a France campaign that ended in World Cup semi-final elimination, his absence from Franco Baresi's funeral while on holiday on the other side of the world, and now a delayed return to Milanello.
Maignan's contract carries a salary comparable to Rafael Leão's, around €7m net per year with bonuses that Gazzetta describe as easy to reach. That figure is part of the problem for any suitor, and the report notes that few clubs in Europe could improve on it. Al-Nassr, where Cristiano Ronaldo plays, are among the few able to go further, and they are looking for a new number one.
Whether Maignan would consider the Saudi Pro League is not yet known. What is clear from Gazzetta's account is that his connection to Milan is not what it was, captain's armband notwithstanding.
Gerry Cardinale and Sérgio Amorim are set to address the matter on Thursday in their mercato summit. The club's preference, for now, is to keep things quiet. Gazzetta cite the decision to grant Maignan four extra days of holiday, a gesture extended to Adrien Rabiot as well, as a sign of that approach.
Milan expect the former Lille goalkeeper to return to Italy and behave like a professional, and no one at the club questions his quality between the posts. The other side of the calculation is the risk of holding on to a reluctant player on one of the squad's biggest salaries, which is why Gazzetta report a face-to-face with Maignan will be needed to lay out both positions.
The club's stance, as Gazzetta frame it, is that they are happy to keep Maignan but the agreement has to run both ways. Should he want out and concrete offers arrive on Via Aldo Rossi, a sale will be considered.
From here, Thursday's summit sets the tone, and the first real answer may only come if Al-Nassr turn their interest into a bid.