GdS: The five targets tasked with revitalising Milan’s midfield

By Euan Burns -

There are five players that AC Milan are in serious pursuit of for the midfield after the heart of last season’s midfield was slowly dismantled.

As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below), there has been a monumental change in the middle of the park for Stefano Pioli to deal with and now the decision-makers at the club need to find replacements.

With Sandro Tonali leaving, Brahim Diaz and Aster Vranckx gone, and Ismael Bennacer trying to recover from a serious knee injury, the midfield will look very different when the 2023/24 season kicks off.

Daichi Kamada: The Japanese midfielder was a serious target long before Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara were relieved, and he seems an ideal free transfer replacement for Brahim Diaz. That deal should get over the line.

Davide Frattesi: His chances of signing have intensified once it became clear that Tonali is leaving, but Inter are very seriously in the frame to sign the Italian.

Tijjani Reijnders: The AZ Alkmaar midfielder is a target to be a temporary replacement and eventual understudy for Bennacer, with the Dutch side wanting €18 million for the 24-year-old.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: A deal that seemed very close before Maldini and Massara’s exits, it has since been on the back burner and it would not be a shock if Chelsea chose to sell him elsewhere.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: The headline target, Milinkovic-Savic has been one of the best midfielders in Serie A for years and he is available on a cheap deal. Milan will need to beat Juventus to the Serbian, though.

Tags AC Milan Daichi Kamada Davide Frattesi Ruben Loftus-Cheek Sergej Milinkovic-Savic Tijjani Reijnders

12 Comments

  1. None of the current rumors will arrive.

    We don’t need to forget Lille and Toulouse players, which clubs will use for Ac Milan investments.

    Psg has a lot of midfielders who can be taken on loan etc..

  2. SMS wont come, 2 high salary.
    Fratesi wont come, 2 high fee.
    One of kamad or cheek cuz of noneu thing.
    tijani looks solid but must say he is a completly different player to benacer, so idk how he could be his understudy

    1. @Reccaman

      Yesterday you were wondering why Milan signed Devis Vazques. I find out the reason, it’s about keeping the non-EU spot:

      Normally, a Serie A team is limited to 3 non-EU players but this limit can be increased by signing non-EU players from Italian league. However, the increased limit can be lost if the non-EU players leave and a non-EU replacement is not registered at the roster before the end of the season.

      At the start of the season, Lazetic occupy a non-EU spot but he was then loaned abroad at January, this leave a non-EU spot at the roster unoccupied. So Milan signed Deviz Vazques to occupy the spot because it would be lost if left unoccupied at 30 June 2023.

      ——-

      Serie A rule on non-EU signing:

      If a Serie A club has exactly two non-EU players in the roster at the end of previous season (30 June), the club is entitled to buy one non-EU player from a foreign club without any restriction, until the limit of three is reached. Additionally the club can buy one additional non-EU player from a foreign club, provided that he replaces a non-EU player on at least one of these below mentioned conditions:
      • The replaced player is sold to a foreign club
      • The replaced player contract expired at the end of previous season
      • The replaced player obtained European citizenship after the 1st of February of previous season

      If a Serie A team has three or more non-EU players in the roster at the end of previous season, the club is entitled to buy two non-EU players from foreign clubs provided that both of them replace a non-EU player each on at least one of these below mentioned conditions:
      • The replaced player is sold to a foreign club
      • The replaced player contract expired at the end of previous season
      • The replaced player obtained European citizenship after the 1st of February of previous season

      Serie A teams can buy non-EU players within the Italian market with no restriction.

        1. Two more things:

          • I’m still unsure whether players who are loaned out still counted in the roster or not. I wrote the post above based on the assumption that they are not counted. However, if they are actually still counted, it means Vasquez hold the spot left vacant by the sale of Leo Duarte instead of the spot of Lazetic.

          • Selling Messias to Italian club such as Torino won’t open a non-EU spot, it must be to foreign club.

  3. oh God, it is still hard to understand why would we let Tonali go in a condition where Bennacer is still struggling with injuries. We haven’t finalized Kamada deal also. I guess loving something soo hard can actually hurt us.

  4. Kamada: has been presented as a ‘done deal’ for weeks. From what I understand we have not got this deal over the line.

    Frattesi: forget him. He will sign for Inter

    Reijnders: nothing concrete at the moment from what I understand

    Loftus-Cheek: his was was all over the place 3 weeks a’go, then he disappeared from our radar and now he’s back. It’s just not serious.

    Milinkovic-Savic: what we want is not clear (at least to me).

    In summary, this mercato seems to be even more chaotic than the previous one and, though, the bar was high

  5. CM: 1. Florentino luis, morten hjulmand, or khephren thuram for tonali’s replacement.
    2. Ricci, Casadei, Reinjders or Samardzic for Bennacer’s place. Or put some faith in Adli.

    LB: Valeri from Cremonense who just got relegated, so should be cheap. Parisi or Gallo if Milan can afford to spend more

    ST: Scamacca or Retegui

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