Milan is finally doing what Italian football does least - leaning on someone from outside. According to „Sky Sport," the Rossoneri have contacted the representatives of Andoni Iraola, the Basque coach who this season turned Bournemouth into a regional wonder.

The contact comes after a week of mass clear-out at the „San Siro." After the Milan club missed out on Champions League qualification for a second season running, on Monday they sacked head coach Massimiliano Allegri, sporting director Igli Tare, CEO Giorgio Furlani and technical director Geoffrey Moncada. Almost everything above the players is empty.

The season for Milan started well - at one point it looked like they would fight for the Serie A title. But the second half fell apart, and at the end came a catastrophic loss to Cagliari in the final round that dropped them from third to fifth. That means Europa League, not the elite.

Iraola, meanwhile, took Bournemouth on an 18-game unbeaten run this season, led the club into Europe for the first time in its 127-year history, and confirmed he will leave Bournemouth this summer. Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen are also fighting for him.

The choice of Iraola, if it happens, would be an unusual move for Italian football. Serie A runs on recycled tactics and the same names rotating between eight clubs. Iraola, born in Usurbil in the Basque Country, brings a different approach - aggressive high press, direct play without long ball possession, and an approach that doesn't fall out of form even when the club sells key players. Out went Ilya Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo - and Bournemouth kept playing as if nothing had happened.

It's partly surprising that Milan isn't going for Antonio Conte, the first instinct of any club looking for an Italian „strongman" figure. But that's precisely the argument for Iraola - that Milan may have understood that the old recipes no longer work.