AC Milan will certainly try to sign Joshua Zirkzee during the summer transfer window, a report claims, but they face a lot of competition and a huge asking price.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) have published an article regarding Zirkzee’s future in this morning’s edition of the newspaper, starting by recalling the fact that he was very impressive during the 2-2 draw against Milan at San Siro on Saturday night.
Stefano Pioli even admitted it after the game: “He is a great player. I have followed him since his days at Bayern and then at Parma. A fantastic player, with physicality and quality. He has everything. At Bologna he is doing very well.”
A farewell to Bologna in the summer is essentially a given because he is too strong and centre-forwards with his technical ability are too rare.
He has all the qualities of a modern striker, and the character given that at San Siro he was not afraid against Inter or against Milan.
The situation is controlled, calmly, by Bayern Munich, who sold him two summers ago to Bologna for €8.5m plus a very high percentage – approximately 50% – of the proceeds on a possible future resale.
Bayern included in the agreement a buy-back clause of €40m, a figure that six months ago seemed disproportionate but now is much less so.
Many top clubs will try and Milan are among them. However, the variable in the equation is called Premier League, because only the English teams have the strength to offer €60-70m.
In that case, the path would be predictable: option exercised by Bayern for €40m, sale to England for higher figures. Alternatively, Bayern can choose not to re-purchase the Durchman and collect the percentage of the resale.
Milan must be quick and decisive when a window opens. Zirkzee, with Leao and Pulisic, would compose a very particular, hyper-technical trio, with flashes of the highest level for the Serie A.
The impression is that Leao and Zirkzee would have fun together. They wouldn’t be the most consistent couple in the world but one of the most box office without a doubt.
There is obviously no shortage of alternatives, because Milan in the Elliott-RedBird era do not make €60m investments, but the Rossoneri will certainly try.