AC Milan have a lot of games to play, and Pioli wants to have his stars for as long as possible
Italian Serie A club AC Milan are negotiating with the NFF as they want to delay Samuel Chukwueze’s resumption to the national team’s preparatory camp for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles open camp in Dubai on January 1 ahead of the AFCON, which kicks off in mid-January. Coach Jose Peseiro named a 40-man provisional squad last week, and he would be looking to trim it down before the deadline for the submissions of final lists, which is on January 3.
Obviously, the reason the camp will open on December 1 is for Peseiro to see all the lads before making his final decision.
However, according to Siempre Milan, AC Milan are looking to hold on to Chukwueze till January 3. This is because between December 30 and January 7, AC Milan will play three games, and coach Stefano Pioli will have to rotate his squad to keep them fresh.
Chukwueze is one of the players who is sure of a place at the AFCON, and Peseiro may be willing to let the Nigerian winger resume a bit late.
Nonetheless, the NFF are under no obligation to accept AC Milan’s request because, under FIFA laws, countries have the final say on their players two weeks to a tournament.