GdS: Milan had agreement with ex-Juventus defender before signing Duarte

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan tried to sign defender Medhi Benatia in the summer before eventually sealing a deal for Leo Duarte, a report claims.

With Cristian Zapata having left upon the expiry of his contract in June, the Rossoneri were in the market for a centre-back to take his place and provide depth.

Duarte became the fifth summer capture for after Theo Hernandez, Rade Krunic and Rafael Leao, Ismael Bennacer, joining for €11million.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Nicolo Schira, Milan actually had another defender in mind before they went for Duarte.

He claims that Benatia was the primary objective and that Ricky Massara and Paolo Maldini received the ‘yes’ from the former Morocco international.

However, Qatari side Al Duhail did not want to lose him and as such blocked his exit, so Milan turned to Duarte.


READ MORE: A tactical insight on AC Milan’s new head coach Stefano Pioli

Tags AC Milan Mehdi Benatia
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