Milan look set to start the 2026-27 season with Christopher Nkunku and Samuel Chukwueze either side of Gonçalo Ramos, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
That's a very different opening act than most fans imagined even a month ago. Rafael Leão has all but told Portuguese TV he wants out, and Christian Pulisic is nursing a hairline fracture in his leg picked up on international duty. Amorim's two most obvious wide creators are, for opening day, unavailable. So the pre-season is quietly becoming an audition for the players who remain.
Nkunku is the one who has taken the hint. Gazzetta report he was already training hard before the squad reported back, a deliberate contrast with last summer, when he arrived at the tail end of the window after being frozen out at Chelsea and didn't start a game until November. His goals came in a burst between December and February, once he was finally fit. This time he intends to be ready from the Australian friendly in early August.
Chukwueze, meanwhile, got a rare individual mention from Amorim in his press conference: "Chukwueze will stay with us because we need players capable of winning one-on-one duels. Plus, he possesses great quality and offers us tactical alternatives." He has also been used as a wing-back in early sessions, which fits the pattern of Amorim converting wingers into that role, as he did with Amad Diallo at United and Quenda at Sporting.
His Milan numbers so far are eight goals and seven assists in 70 appearances, output modest enough that he was loaned to Fulham last season. Amorim clearly sees him differently.
The read from Gazzetta is that Nkunku and Chukwueze offer a more physical, direct interpretation of the wide roles than Leão did, feeding Ramos rather than working off him. Whether that's a downgrade or just a different tool depends on what Milan bring in with the money from Leão, whose exit is being framed as the funding mechanism for the rest of the window. He isn't due back at Milanello until July 29.
Pulisic is the one certainty. Gerry Cardinale views him as an asset the club won't move, and Amorim has already said he has "very clear ideas" about how to use him. The timeline on his return isn't specified, but a hairline fracture typically means weeks, not months, so a September return is realistic.
Until then, Nkunku and Chukwueze get first crack at proving the attack still functions without its two headline names.