Following the conclusion of the January mercato, Gianluca Di Marzio has shed some light on the work done by AC Milan over the past month and the opportunities that the club explored.
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Ahead of January, the information relayed was that the mercato would have to be a ‘month of opportunities‘ rather than the club spending sillily, given the restraints caused by Milan’s elimination from the Champions League.
Of course, there were attempts made for different opportunities. But, there was very little activity in the window in general, not just for the Rossoneri, so it is understandable why there was not a lot of movement, in or out of the club.
As was revealed yesterday, the club have already begun making plans ahead of the summer mercato to evaluate and capitalise on any opportunities they discover, ahead of the market re-opening.
Gianluca Di Marzio spoke to Sky Sports Italy about the mercato, and his comments have been relayed by RadioRossonera.
Defensive opportunities…
“After finding Torino’s unwillingness to open negotiations for [Alessandro] Buongiorno, they [Milan] went back to looking at the Premier League. [Clement] Lenglet has always been one of the first choices, he had also spoken to Pioli and Moncada and had even given his openness to landing at the Rossoneri.”
Which other opportunities were evaluated?
“Apart from the attempt for [Fernando] Redondo’s son [Federico Redondo], Milan never looked for other reinforcements in that department. So many paths, but none were viable.
“For [Maxence] Lacroix, for example, the German club has opposed any negotiations, especially on loan. In the case of [Merih] Demiral, however, as we have already expressed in recent days, the main problem was also related to image rights.
“In midfield, the decision not to buy a replacement for [Rade] Krunic was probably also influenced by the elimination of [Ismael] Bennacer from the African Cup of Nations, and his consequent early return to Milanello.”
