AC Milan’s mercato appears to be blocked at the moment, but when things get moving again the directors must know who to pursue.
It is no secret that Ruben Amorim has asked for a left-footed attacking midfielder to play inverted behind the striker on the right side. However, quite who this profile might be remains as much a mystery today as it did one month ago.
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Milan seemed to want to invest €35m to sign Kostantinos Karetsas, but Borussia Dortmund were always ahead in that race and eventually agreed a deal with Genk. Kerim Alajbegovic was another target linked but he is heading for rivals Juventus.
So, the management must go back to the drawing board and determine who is the best trequartista that they can acquire for Amorim, both in terms of their skill set but also the cost-to-quality ratio. We have picked out some potential targets based on the parameters set.
The familiar name
The player that Amorim would probably most like to welcome to Milanello is Amad Diallo, given that the pair developed a good working relationship while the Portuguese was at Manchester United. A possible reunion was mentioned last month, too.
Diallo was one of the few players who markedly improved with Amorim at the helm, playing both behind the centre-forward and also as a wing-back, a switch he appears to be trying to replicate with Samuel Chukwueze.
The 24-year-old also knows Serie A having been with Atalanta before. He has racked up an impressive 16 goals and 16 assists in 97 appearances since moving to Old Trafford, and has been playing more as a winger under Michael Carrick in a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3.
Right off the bat we feel like saying that this is a very unlikely move, not because Diallo would be a bad fit but because he is simply too valuable to United. There is Champions League football returning for the Red Devils this season, and the costs would surely be too high without a big sale.
The cast-off
In recent days, reports have linked Milan with a similarly ambitious move for Manchester City’s Savinho. While the Brazilian is someone that is expected to move clubs this summer due to the competition for places, Milan seem unlikely to get involved.
Of course Savinho would be a potentially formidable player in Italian football and ticks the boxes of what Amorim wants. However, reports suggest that he earns €6m net per season and would command a fee of €50m.
Roberto De Zerbi’s free-spending Tottenham Hotspur are the current favourites to get him, having been linked with a move in previous windows too. For now Savinho seems an unattainable prospect, but if no sale materialises a loan could potentially open up.
The maverick
Can Uzun has attracted interest from several major clubs and is expected to leave Eintracht Frankfurt before the start of the 2026-27 season. The 20-year-old racked up ten goals and six assists, which has alerted Milan, as per reports in Germany.
Uzun burst onto the scene and was being linked with moves to Europe’s elite for around €80m. Now, however, there is the possibility that he could depart Frankfurt for around half of that figure despite his impressive numbers.
Why? This is where the gamble element comes in. The Turkey international has been mentioned as having attitude issues and his injury history is not great. Another obstacle is that he is right-footed and not left, though he is very good with both.
The loan
In recent days there have been links with a move for Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono, a young talent that they would like to send out on loan to a European club so he can continue his development. The teenager apparently wants Italy above all other destinations too.
There is a footnote regarding the formula that may make things less appealing for Amorim and the directors: Los Blancos have set the firm condition that it can only be a dry loan, so no option to make it permanent will be considered.
Given that there is a multi-year project planned with the new coach, it’s unlikely Milan would be happy to development Mastantuono for just one year, to then face the same issue next summer of having to sign a playmaker.
If the possibility were to arise for the Argentine to arrive with some kind of option to buy – potentially with a buy-back set down the line as with Brahim Diaz and Alex Jimenez – then it could become a solution late in the window.
The domestic solution
Among the various ideas floated in the past week or so is one from a rival: Matias Soulé at Roma. It is believed that Gian Piero Gasperini is open to allowing the Argentine to leave this summer, and Matteo Moretto stated he has been offered to Milan.
After the arrival of Santiago Castro and the renewal of Paulo Dybala, Soule might want a change of scenery to keep his career development going. He’s valued at around €40m, but a good relationship with Roma could help the deal.
The 23-year-old has played in 111 Serie A games, with 23 goals and 13 assists to his name. As far as technical characteristics go he might well tick the most boxes for Amorim: left-footed, great technique, an eye for goal and sacrifice out of possession.
The return
Another intriguing proposition has been floated recently and it is a trip down memory lane. Corriere della Sera reported over the weekend that the return of Brahim Diaz is something that the hierarchy could consider.
While he has played plenty since he went back there, Real Madrid have an incredible amount of talent up front and it is possible that the Morocco international could fall back down the pecking order. As seen from his previous loan, Brahim has what Amorim wants in terms of qualities and his position.
The 27-year-old has raced up 22 goals and 30 assists in 163 games for Real across all competitions, with a lot of those being substitute appearances. The issue once again would be formula-related: would the LaLiga side let him go permanently this time, or would they want to maintain control again?
The opportunity
Milan like to seize chances that emerge from the Premier League to strengthen the squad with players that the top clubs in England no longer deem a big part of their plans. That situation applies to Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal.
Matteo Moretto stated a few days ago that the young Englishman is the latest name on the Rossoneri’s list as they continue to evaluate various left-footed attackers. The Gunners sent him to Marseille for the second half of last season (two goals in nine appearances), so they might be open to negotiations again.
The 19-year-old has four goals in 24 Premier League appearances and he would be a signing based more on the potential to explode rather than being a bonafide star now. However, it could be a case of buying at the right time, even if the fee is likely to not be cheap.
The existing resources
What if Milan didn’t have to go out and sign anyone? Looking at it on paper, Milan currently have Christian Pulisic, Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leao who can play behind the striker, while waiting for news on the Portuguese’s future.
Samuel Chukwueze and Alexis Saelemaekers can be added to that group while waiting to see if one or both are deemed sufficient for the starting right wing-back role. Then there are young talents like Alphadjo Cisse and Lorenzo Ossola who are believed to have impressed Amorim.
When factoring in the young players, those who can cover multiple roles and the possibility of Leao staying, there might not actually be need to allocate a big part of the budget to the position. That, though, would be a call for Amorim to make based on how he evaluates the current squad.
The right-footers
As the days tick by towards the end of the window, Milan might well have to get more creative and loosen their stance on things, which could result in the ‘Mr.X’ being someone who hasn’t yet been linked.
Another train of thought is the idea that Milan might un-toggle the pre-requisite for a new signing to be left-footed and instead go for someone who is ambidextrous or even right-footed, shifting Pulisic over again.
This opens up some interesting possibilities, like Dan Ndoye at Nottingham Forest, who has struggled in England but looked brilliant at Bologna. Looking within Serie A, Armand Lauriente continues to put up impressive numbers (double digits goals last season) and could be the right age for a big jump.
Good article, but 2 things. Ndoye at Bologna in Serie A – 62 games – 9 goals and six assists. Brilliant? Average with flashes of potential. He isn’t better than anyone playing his position in this team. Even Chukwueze is a better player.
And Brahim Diaz – when did he play a 90 minute game? Did he ever? You can’t rely on a player that can’t play 30+ games a season for 90 minutes when he is fit.
Other players I like (except any loans, Milan shouldn’t develop players for others. Some are more risk than others but that is how you move ahead, take some risks. Uzun seems like a beast. Attitude issues? Like Ibrahimovic?
Brahim Diaz and Cambiaso are perfect opportunity for us. Juve is -115M after their purchases…
upgrades if we have time left:
Tomori Lucumi (deWinter is better playing on the sides of defense, Gabbia might or might not be good enough for now; Lucumi ball playing ability and intercepts are one of the best in the league and he has contract until 2027)
Gimenez Gonzalo Garcia/Rutter (both are left footed, bot can play ST and behind striker)
Don’t you worry about a thing, our situation is bad right now but the future looks grim. In other words, it could always be worse
than it already is, we of all clubs (should) know that. We’ll end up with Lorenzo Pellegrini by the looks of it, this is such an AGONY.
If Milan aren’t going to replace Leao with a much much better player, then just keep him and move on.
much much? how much much is enough for you? We need consistency, not a slacker who strolls around the field acting like he’s already achieved everything in life.
We developed Diaz for Madrid but won the Scudetto with him.
At this point, I don’t care what club we develop a player for, if he would make the difference in the Scudetto race, get him in.
Serie A isn’t that difficult to be at the summit, if despite playing horrifically last season and playing key players out of position, with a low squad morale, yet we fluctuated between 2nd and 3rd for the most part of the season, I bet it, with a good playing style we can absolutely compete for the Scudetto.
Last season with Allegri was bare minimum.
Bad management…. If you can’t make the club grow and make the fans happy , you leave that club for people who are ready to spend and invest , rubbish….
It’s already starting to sound like clueless desperation, tbh. Juve have landed two prize signings today; Milan have done nothing for nearly a month now.
Gaspreini je veliki mačak !! Ne kupuj ono što on prodaje !
I don’t like coaches who ask the team to adapt to him, and not him to the team. that’s how I feel about allegra. manchester united was a disaster in 3-4-2-1, only to explode in 4-2-3-1. amorim, if he stubbornly continues to look for players for some formation, what will Milan do if he is fired during the season? to look for a coach who plays in the same formation?
You have point bro
It really points to a sad decline in AC Milan when we’re hanging our hopes on signing some of those names and getting rejected by others. We’ve lost a good amount of prestige over the last 10-15 years and yes we lack the lure of Champions League football and the financial might (and appeal) of other top clubs around Europe, but our proud history deserves more respect, certainly more than is given by the owners and directors.
A brewing protest? How about that?
No one complained when we were signing the likes of Muntari, Kevin Constant, Taye Taiwo, Borini… the list is a long one.
Yeah… talking about respect.
“No one complained when we were signing the likes of Muntari, Kevin Constant, Taye Taiwo, Borini… the list is a long one.”
You must not have been there during that time. There were massive protests. Insert coin , save Milan
Since it appears unlikely for any team to be dumb enough and buy Leao and bring some money in, go get Franco Mastantuono on a dry loan from Real Madrid. If it works out, great, you got a good player for almost nothing for 1 season, if it doesn’t at least you didn’t spend 40-50 mil on a player that might not work out and you end up being stuck with (take a look at Milan signings as of late). Especially when you missed out on your top target Kostantinos Karetsas.
Kick the can down the road instead of making a panic buy, None of these players are worth the money their clubs are asking and most of them are right footed anyway. With the overrated bum staying you are going to be forced to play Pulisic on the right anyway, Give Real Madrid a call
Nice article, acknowledging that there are a lot of opportunities on the market, and we might not even need to take any of them if Leao stays.
Loans for the right player shouldn’t be ruled out; if it gets us what we need to compete for top 4 this year and we can punt the long-term solution a year down the road (into another budget cycle) then no problem for me.
At the moment, I’m wondering if we are considering a similar deal with Roma to the Abraham-Saelemaekers one, but this time with Soule and Leao. Not saying we should do…
No Champions League so I don’t expect big names to come to begin with, speaking from the players’ perspective. Really, we can’t ask for hot name on the market without Champions League. Price tags aside, that is another matter.
Please go for Konstantelias if we cannot buy permanently Brahim