Santiago Gimenez has left Milan for Porto on a loan deal that carries an option to buy, one that turns into an obligation if certain conditions are met.
The exit had been building all summer. Gimenez sat outside Ruben Amorim's plans, and both the striker and his agent spent the window looking for a way out. Several clubs were mentioned along the way, but Porto were consistently the frontrunners, and now the move is done.
Milan confirmed the terms in a club statement: "AC Milan can confirm that Santiago Gimenez has joined FC Porto on loan, with an option to make the deal permanent, an option that will become an obligation upon the fulfilment of specific conditions. The loan runs until 30 June 2027." The Rossoneri also thanked Gimenez for his professionalism and wished him well for the season ahead.
The specific conditions that would trigger the obligation were not disclosed, nor was the fee attached to the permanent option. Those details will shape how much Milan eventually recoup, but for now the club has only confirmed the structure.
Porto framed the arrival around his record before Italy, noting the 51-time Mexico international scored 65 goals and set up 14 more while winning three titles at Feyenoord. That was the form that persuaded Milan to spend north of €30m on him roughly 18 months ago, a signing that arrived with real expectation attached.
That price tag is what makes the move sting. A striker bought for over €30m a year and a half ago is now out on loan, and if the conditions are met, gone for good, without Milan having found the version of him that lit up Rotterdam.
With the loan running to June 2027 and an obligation waiting in the terms, Gimenez may well have already played his final match in a Milan shirt. From here, it is those specific conditions, whatever they are, that decide whether this becomes a permanent sale.