Stephan El Shaarawy Will Not Return To Milan

As the January transfer window continues to roll onwards, the future of Stephane El Shaarawy is still very much up in the air. The Italian joined French side AS Monaco on loan at the beginning of the season. However, il Faraone has struggled to make an impact in Ligue 1. The loan deal that took El Shaarawy to Monaco in the summer included a buyout clause that became mandatory after 25 appearances for the club. Monaco, however, dropped the mercurial winger after 24 appearances to avoid activating the clause. This has lead to suggestions over the past few weeks that he could return to Milan. However, Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has revealed to the press that, contrary to suggestions that El Shaarawy could return to Milan this January, he will in fact remain in Monaco until the end of the season or alternatively find another club.

Monaco's decision not to sign El Shaarawy permanently has proved to be a stumbling block in Galliani's plans for the transfer window, having been reliant on the payment for El Shaarawy as a means to raise funds for other transfers. Milan's squad is already bloated, with 28 first-team players on the books at the minute - an extraordinary figure for a team not featuring in European competition. FIGC regulations limit the size of a Serie A club's squad to 25 players as it is, and so even if Milan did want El Shaarawy back, there would be no room for him in the team. Thecollapse of Luiz Adriano's move to Jiangsu has further complicated matters. A move to Roma remains a possibility for El Shaarawy, though a deal between the two clubs is dependant on both the future of Roma's winger Gervinho and the Giallorossi's interest in Genoa winger Diego Perotti. Despite the fact that Il Faraone remains a favourite amongst Milanisti despite a difficult couple of seasons, Galliani appears to have definitively ruled out a return for El Shaarawy, whatever happens otherwise.