Alexis Saelemaekers joins Bologna

Bologna FC 1909 can confirm that Alexis Saelemaekers has joined the Club on loan from AC Milan until 30 June 2024. The Rossoblù will retain an option to make the deal permanent.

The sixth Belgian player in the Club’s history, Alexis is a versatile winger, who, in four seasons with the Rossoneri, stood out for his quality, work rate and dedication. Mainly a right winger, but able to play through the middle or slightly deeper, the 1999-born Belgian started at Anderlecht and then joined AC Milan as a 20-year-old in 2020. He immediately won Stefano Pioli’s trust. He provides great balance to the attack with his dynamism, hard running and vision, and defensive work rate. He started as a back-up to Castillejo but soon rose up the hierarchy to nail down a starting berth in front of right-back Calabria. He made 140 appearances with the Rossoneri, scoring ten goals including his first against Bologna, in all competitions. He made his Champions League debut in September 2021, starting as a central attacking midfielder against Liverpool. In the 2021/22 season, when AC Milan won their first Scudetto in eleven years, Saelemaekers was Pioli’s first-choice on the right wing, forming a potent strike force with Díaz, Leao and Giroud.