Milan announce Lyon friendly

Milan’s first game under new coach Sinisa Mihajlovic will be a pre-season friendly against Lyon at the Stade de Gerland on July 18.

Mihajlovic has been charged with reviving the ailing Serie A club’s fortunes after a poor 2014-15 campaign that saw them finish 10th with Filippo Inzaghi at the helm.

Former Sampdoria boss Mihajlovic, who finished his playing career at Inter, agreed a two-year deal at San Siro earlier this month.

Lyon will pose a tough challenge for Milan, having finished second in Ligue 1 last term, eight points behind champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Milan’s preparations for the 2015-16 campaign also include taking part in the International Champions Cup in China, which involves matches against rivals Inter and Rafael Benitez’s Real Madrid.

After that, the 18-time league champions will compete in the Audi Cup alongside Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Tottenham.

They will do so without transfer target Geoffrey Kondogbia, though, as the Monaco midfielder looks set to join Inter after chief executive officer Adriano Galliani revealed on Sunday a deal had fallen through.