Fikayo Tomori has rejoined training with his Milan teammates, the clearest sign yet that the defender is back in the fold after a summer spent on the fringes of the squad.
Tomori was up for sale for much of the window, and only Milan's failure to add another centre-back kept him at the club. Had they landed a defender, the Englishman would have had little reason to stay and fight for his place, which frames how his return came about.
Fabrizio Romano pointed to the image that told the story on Wednesday morning, the handshake between Tomori and Ruben Amorim on the training pitch. "The player was on the move throughout the summer transfer window, practically from June until Ruben Amorim's arrival. This morning, the final confirmation of what we said at the end of the last transfer window arrived," Romano said.
"We saw Tomori again in training: a handshake with Amorim, smiles. In short, things seem to be back to normal between the defender and AC Milan, but that's a direct consequence of this transfer window."
The reconciliation may be temporary, though, with Tomori's deal running down. Matteo Moretto turned to that side of the situation, noting the defender's contract expires in 2027.
"Yes, it's a consequence, certainly. But I would look at what could happen now: it's true that Tomori is back at Milan's disposal and is once again a player 100% focused on his official Rossoneri commitments, but his contract expires in 2027," Moretto said.
"I think it's difficult to predict a possible renewal after all the turmoil at the end of this transfer window. Meanwhile, the news is that a player who has made Milan's recent history, winning a Scudetto and making numerous appearances for the Rossoneri, is back at the club's disposal."
A player who was on his way out weeks ago is now training under Amorim as if nothing happened, but with less than two years left on his deal and no renewal talks in sight, the question the mercato left unanswered simply moves to next summer. From here, it is Milan and Tomori who decide whether this is a fresh start or a delayed goodbye.