Ardon Jashari climbs to the next level of his career: His transfer to AC Milan also delights FC Luzern

Club Bruges wants a lot of money for its most important player. A lot. The Belgian runners-up proudly stated this throughout the negotiations regarding Ardon Jashari. But who can pay 30 to 40 million euros?

First, the transfer market needs to get moving, sources close to the player have said in recent weeks. It should be added that money must first be released in the Premier League, the world's richest football league. This happened when Dutchman Tijjani Reijnders transferred from AC Milan to Manchester City for over €50 million. Only now do the Italians have the funds to approach the Belgian club.

The tug-of-war over the 23-year-old Swiss Ardon Jashari dragged on for weeks; it was "wall against wall," as the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport wrote.

On Tuesday, the parties agreed on a fixed fee of €34 million, plus potential bonuses of €5 million. This puts the transfer fee well above the €40 million threshold originally set by Bruges. A significant portion will apparently be due if AC Milan reaches the Champions League.

This puts the transaction involving Ardon Jashari only slightly below the level recently reached by Dan Ndoye (Nottingham) and Granit Xhaka (then from Mönchengladbach to Arsenal) with their moves to the Premier League in 2022. In both cases, the price tag was over €40 million.

Jashari's annual salary will reportedly increase from €1.4 million to €2.5 million net with the move from Bruges to Milan, not including potential bonuses of €500,000. But it's not just Bruges and Jashari who are cashing in; FC Luzern is also cashing in. The midfielder moved from Lucerne to Bruges last summer for €6 million. Since the Central Swiss club secured a share of just over five percent in the resale, they are expected to earn up to €3 million. These millions are not budgeted. This is like "jam on bread," according to FC Luzern.

The move to AC Milan is proof of how much Jashari's career has gained momentum in the last year alone.

Although he wasn't captain, after a brief initial hiccup, he performed as if he were the captain in Bruges. A single match was enough to draw this conclusion. He played the entire league championship in a central midfield position. He was part of the team that finished second behind Union Saint-Gilloise and reached the round of 16 in the Champions League. Bruges won the Belgian Cup. And: Jashari was named the league's best player.

His good season in Bruges led to Swiss national coach Murat Yakin selecting him for the June friendlies against Mexico (4-2) and the USA (4-0) . This brought his cap tally to four. That's a small number for a 23-year-old player who is considered to have such talent.

Jashari has become a chouchou at a Belgian club that has pursued a shrewd transfer policy for years, filling its coffers in the process. Jashari's path to Milan was set when he and Bruges skipped the crucial Champions League qualifier against Salzburg. On Wednesday, the Belgian club will play in the first leg of their match to determine whether they can reach the playoffs.

Without Jashari, who undergoes a medical in Milan the same day and joins an institution with a glorious European Cup history. Only Real Madrid have won the Champions League more times than AC Milan. In Serie A, Inter Milan and champions SSC Napoli have recently been stronger. Last season was marked by several coaching changes. Eighth place in the table means no European Cup matches this season.

But with coach Massimiliano Allegri, AC Milan is once again in a spirit of optimism. Although the personnel shake-up is challenging: In addition to Reijnders, Théo Hernández (al-Hilal) also left the club. In return, Milan signed the talented Italian Samuele Ricci (Torino) for over €20 million, and veteran Luka Modric also joined from Real Madrid. Modric will turn 40 in a few weeks. He apparently wants to take Croatia to the 2026 World Cup and has reportedly turned down financially attractive offers from Saudi Arabia and the USA.

The dynamic Jashari is expected to complete Milan's new midfield alongside the defensive-minded Ricci and Modric. Granit Xhaka was originally earmarked for this position, but he instead moved to newly promoted Premier League side Sunderland . With French international goalkeeper and captain Mike Maignan and attacking players Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez, Milan's squad boasts promising players.

Swiss striker Noah Okafor, who was never able to establish himself in Milan, has little future at the club. He spent the past six months on loan at Napoli, where he only played 36 minutes. However, 20-year-old YB right-back Zachary Athekame could soon move to AC Milan. The two clubs have not yet agreed on a transfer fee; YB is expecting an offer of more than ten million euros from the Italians.

Ardon Jashari isn't the only Swiss midfielder to find a new club in Serie A these days. Michel Aebischer is moving on loan from Bologna to newly promoted Pisa, while Simon Sohm is moving from Parma to AC Fiorentina for just over 15 million Swiss francs. The most anticipated player, however, is Jashari, who is expected to help revitalize giant Milan.

Transfers between Bruges and Milan haven't always worked out. In 2022, the then 21-year-old Belgian striker Charles De Ketelaere moved from the north to the south. He, too, cost almost €40 million. But he struggled to find his feet at AC Milan, failed to score a goal, and moved to Atalanta Bergamo, first on loan and then permanently a year later.

AC Milan and Jashari want to prove that this time there is no need to take a detour to take the next step in his career.