Luka Modric is expected to accept a new one-year deal to stay at Milan, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Croatian's World Cup career ended in the round of 32 against Portugal, and Milan's own season finished without Champions League football. So the summer question was whether a 40-year-old who has done everything in the game would want a second act in a rebuild rather than a farewell tour somewhere gentler. The signs point to him staying, and that matters because Amorim's system needs a possession anchor while the rest of the squad learns it.
Modric hasn't formally told Milan yes, but Gerry Cardinale, Amorim and the sporting management are all optimistic, GdS report. The option on his previous contract has expired, so a new deal will need to be drawn up, likely another one-year arrangement on modest money. Last season he earned around €3.5m net, and the finances aren't the obstacle here.
What tipped the balance is the direction of the project. Modric's stated condition for playing on was that the club had to be competing to win, and while he was in the United States with Croatia, Milan were busy signing Gonçalo Ramos and Mario Gila and installing Amorim on the bench. The coach has made his interest personal: "I have already spoken to Luka twice, but if it takes a third to convince him, I will do it again."
The family side pulls the same way. His wife Vanja and the three children are settled in Milan, and his daughter Ema, 13, plays in the Milan women's youth setup. A move to join Mourinho's staff at Real Madrid was floated as a soft landing into life after football, but by every indication Modric still wants to be a player.
Amorim's public framing is the tell. "Maybe Luka won't play all the matches, but we're counting on him. I hope to have him, even soon, because he will be useful to us especially at the beginning to gain possession." That's a coach describing a specific role, not paying tribute to a legend. In an Amorim side that plays out through midfield triangles, a metronome who barely misses a pass is exactly the on-ramp the rest of the group needs.
The formal return date for Milan's World Cup contingent has been set (Pervis Estupiñán is back on 24 July after Ecuador's round-of-16 exit), with Modric's likely to land a few days later. Between now and then, the calls from Cardinale, Amorim and team-mates will keep coming, but everyone involved sounds like they're closing a deal, not chasing one. Expect the signature before pre-season is properly underway.