AC Milan are looking into potential midfield reinforcements ahead of the summer and one of the names on their list is Youssouf Fofana of Monaca, a report claims.
As this morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) reports, Fofana went from being a footballer who delivered pizzas in the evening (as a boy) to being a footballer who one evening – not a coincidence, that of 18 December 2022 – played in the World Cup final.
Fofana is one of the names Milan is aiming for for the summer of 2024, and CEO Giorgio Furlani seemed to confirm that there will be investment: The resources here are reinvested to build an increasingly stronger team. Last year we had to revolutionize the squad, this year not, we will have to perfect it.”
Fofana, in Milan’s March ideas, is a piece for the improvement of the midfield. April will show if it can be done: Fofana plays at Monaco, he has the number 19 shirt but in this story the key number is 25.
Youssouf is 25 years old, the perfect age for Milan who are looking for a combinatio of experience and youth: with Pulisic it went well, with others there is work to be done but we can see a path. And, above all, Fofana’s contract expires in 2025, i.e. in a year.
It means that his future is in the balance and Milan fans will remember the negotiation a year ago for Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze: both had only one year left on their contracts, for both Milan convinced a club (Chelsea and Villarreal) that it would be better to accept around €20m immediately rather than losing the player for free.
There is no shortage of competition from the big European clubs but the deal could be done. Monaco is the club where Geoffrey Moncada trained as a scout, and at Milan he is a very important voice in technical choices.
What kind of player is Fofana? The type of player that Milan are looking for in the middle. He is physically imposing – 185 centimeters and an imposing physique – and has athleticism: he covers the field, wins duels, can give a great hand in front of the defence.
Here it is time to take a step back: Milan in the summer of 2023 has built a midfield with players who love to look forward. Reijnders, Loftus-Cheek, Bennacer, Musah, Adli: all of them, in different ways, love to make a difference in the attacking phase, not without the ball.
For this reason, the strategy is clear: add a more defensive player, with an open debate on the qualities of the individual. And Fofana, like Khéphren Thuram, is on the list.
The restructuring of Milan is not restricted to the midfield. The summer of 2024 will be that of the No.9, a great priority after the announced farewell of Olivier Giroud, who is heading to Los Angeles.
Milan follows many profiles and Giorgio Furlani gave a clue: “We are looking for another Pulisic”. That is, a young player ready to grow. There is a problem: a starting 9 for 20 million cannot be found, unless the clause for Serhou Guirassy is paid.
The big name, however, is Joshua Zirkzee, a striker for Bologna, 193cm of talent. Milan think of him seriously, more than the other attackers, and Joshua has already told interested parties that he is very happy in Italy.
He would prefer a move to Milan as per the paper, in a league he already knows, rather than a somersault in the Premier League. Bayern, for this reason, will probably not be his destination even though they can buy him back for €40m.
They can basically get both Khephren thuram and Youssouf fofana that would be crazy dream
Why am I not surprised 90% of the targets are French or playing there?
Moncada has a network that is very strong in France. It isn’t surprising. But it isn’t a bad thing. France produces good players. We probably need to recruit more specialists in other leagues. Maybe snatch a scouting manager from Portugal to strengthen the network there and South America by extension.
IMO Youssouf is more interesting than Khephren. He has more experience and with only a year left on his contract, we should get a better deal. He’s also more physical which would help in Serie A.
Interesting that Calabria is getting in the last year of contract (2025), and that Adli also gets in the last 2 years of contract (2026).
Between Fofana and Thuram, to me it seems like Fofana is closer to what we need
Fofana same like kassie but bit faster destroyer that’s what we need in our midfield
Very French Milan.