AC Milan have continued to pursue targets from France in recent years, and the go-to spot has normally been Lille. With the news of the Rossoneri’s renewed interest in Jonathan David, a report has looked into the previous interests.
It comes as no surprise to hear that Milan are, once again, considering a move for David – after all, they have had an interest in the Canadian striker previously, and he would arrive on favourable terms. Aside from that, he would also arrive from the club where the Diavolo have experience with negotiating.
As Gazzetta dello Sport writes, with the David chapter being revisited, it is wise to look at the history between the two clubs, starting with the successes.
Successes
The most obvious candidate, at least currently is Paulo Fonseca’s arrival on the bench after his great work with Lille. Of course, there are questions about his position, but having him at the club would possibly give Milan a helping hand with a David deal.
Aside from the Portuguese head coach, there is also the connection of the Elliott Management Group, who had ties with Lille previously. Whilst they did not own the club, they helped in the 2020 transition between two owners.
On the pitch, there are the cases of Rafael Leao and Mike Maignan, and both have risen to stardom in the Rossoneri colours. Nearly €50 million was spent on the duo, but with them now having a combined value of almost €200m, it serves as a great piece of business.
Failures
Then we have the almost(s) – Sven Botman, Renato Sanches and Tiago Santos. Starting with the former pair, both were considered and tracked, and attempts were made. However, Botman preferred the Premier League opportunity provided by Newcastle, for Sanches, the lure of PSG was too great.
Then we have Santos, the right-back who was tracked before and after Fonseca took the reigns of the club. Whilst Emerson Royal was the chosen right-back this summer, the Portuguese option could be revisited in the future.
