The end is nigh for Sulley Muntari.
He pulled himself from the AC Milan squad at the start of April, refusing to play for a club that has no part for him in the future. Milan gave their approval, per Italian journalist Gianluca DiMarzio, with the midfielder only participating in practices for the remainder of the season.
Coach Filippo Inzaghi said Muntari was "very professional about it", per Football Italia, but in reality the situation is embarrassing. Not two months ago, Muntari served as the captain against Juventus; now he is an outcast, his personality apparently too big for the team to handle.
All signs point to a summer transfer. That is the only amicable solution for all parties. If he doesn't want to play, then let him go.
Muntari has another year left on his contract, a result of his contract extension in the last off-season. He got a raise, too, but that wasn't enough to keep him happy.
Gianluca Di Marzio's website reports that there are several destinations for the 30-year-old. Queens Park Rangers had pursued him, but any bid would probably rest on the club's Premier League survival. There is interest from West Ham—which recently took Milan's Antonio Nocerino on loan—and also an offer from Major League Soccer.
The new Los Angeles franchise was linked with Muntari in March.
It's unclear how much money Milan could get from a potential sale. The news of his unrest with the Rossoneri can only hurt their negotiating position. Clubs know that Muntari wants to leave.
Milan could cut a deal with the player and simply terminate his contract by mutual consent. That in itself is a curious turn of events. It's something that Milan usually do to other teams. Look at Real Madrid: Last summer, they released Diego Lopez from his contract once he realized that there was no room for him. He then joined Milan on a free transfer.
But this is not about money. This is about control. Milan cannot afford to have a player go rogue. It's against their traditions. Muntari has bossed around this team for far too long.
A similar thing happened to Yoann Gourcuff a few years ago. PaoloMaldini was not impressed with the Frenchman's attitude. Gourcuff too didn't make himself available to the team. He was not on time and he was generally poor on the pitch.
"After a while he became foreign to the group," Maldini told L'Equipe in 2010 (h/t Goal.com).
Unfortunately, this club does not have the likes of Maldini to set team-mates straight. If a player like Muntari is even remotely in the conversation to wear the armband, then there is a problem. He even left the World Cup in disgrace, receiving a suspension after "an unprovoked physical attack" on an executive, per The Guardian.
That is not different to his time at Milan: Muntari has been suspended for nine games over the past two-and-a-half seasons. He is a red card waiting to happen.
This club badly needs leadership, and they're not going to earn respect abroad if they let players like Muntari run the asylum.
Source: Anthony Lopopolo, Bleacher Report