AC Milan’s pursuit of Josip Ilicic is on stand-by as Atalanta are asking for too much in order to sell him, according to a report.
Sky Italia (via MilanNews) reported over the weekend that an agreement between the 33-year-old Slovenia international and the Rossoneri is already in place and has been for some time, but what is missing for the time being is an agreement between Milan and their Lombardy rivals.
According to the latest from local paper il Corriere di Bergamo (via MilanNews), Ilicic is leaving Atalanta this summer but for now his sale is on stand by. Milan are the club most interested in him, but for the Rossoneri it seems La Dea are still asking too much to let the Slovenian attacking midfielder go.
Factors such as his age (33) and the fact that he is actively pursuing the move himself could play in Milan’s favour, hence the patient stance.
READ MORE: Bonucci lists Milan as a team who could ‘annoy’ Juventus in bid to reclaim Scudetto
The reason for the stalemate in the Ilicic case is closing in Florenzi. He will be our RW back up solution
I think you’re right. I actually like the Florenzi idea. He is versatile and can play down the entire right flank. It will tide us over for the season until we can find a better, younger, longer term solution for RW next summer. However, if Castillejo ends up leaving I can still see Ilicic arriving. After Florenzi I think Milan will still look to bring another playmaker and a CM to help hold the fort while Bennacer and Kessie are away, and this will conclude the market, aside from any outgoings.
And I’d like to add that even if he meets the conditions that cause the option to become obligatory, that he would continue being a good backup at on the right side even if the aforementioned RW arrives in 2022. So it would be RW1 New Player, RW2 Saelemaekers, RW3 Florenzi; RB1 Calabria, RB2 Florenzi, RB3 Saelemaekers.