AC Milan are looking for a new centre-forward ahead of the summer and seem to have settled on Joshua Zirkzee, a player who would very much change the way that the team play.
According to this morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Zirkzee has given his approval to the idea of joining Milan and now they are working on an operation that would be worth around €50m, possibly with a counterpart included.
What would it mean for Milan if he were to join? The paper goes on to focus about how Zirkzee could complement some of the other pieces in the attack at present, starting with the obvious one: Rafael Leao.
The obvious differences
The Dutchman interprets the role of striker in a profoundly different way from Giroud. The Frenchman is a classic penalty area centre-forward, a man who lives in the box and looks to be a finisher, as well as battling hard in aerial duels and pressing from the front.
Zirkzee is a centre-forward with the attitude of a No.10: great technique, searching for one-on-ones, dribbling and vision of the game. Characteristics that make him closer to Leao, perhaps.
It is no coincidence that the Portuguese winger has already expressed his appreciation for the former Bayern man on social media, liking one of our tweets which linked him with a move.
The doubt
The unknown, if anything, is linked to the numbers: how many goals would the ‘Zirkzao’ formula be able to guarantee? The point of comparison, once again, is Giroud.
Since he wore the red and black shirt, the 37-year-old has always scored double figures (to be precise, he has been doing so for 14 consecutive seasons) and, together with Rafa, he has scored 28 and 34 goals in the last two seasons.
Zirkzee is definitely traveling at a different pace: in this 2023-24 season he has 11 goals but in his previous campaigns in Serie A (with Parma and Bologna) he had not gone beyond two goals in 21 appearances with the Rossoblù last season.
How Milan could look
The paper provides a graphic showing the differences in how Milan might play, starting with the current set-up. Giroud, as mentioned, is a player who likes to get into the box and Leao looks to be the provider for him with direct runs.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea man often tries to drop deeper in order to participate in the build-up play but his flicks and tricks have mixed success.
With Zirkzee, the Rossoneri would alter quite noticeably. Leao and Pulisic on the flanks would drive more centrally, as would Loftus-Cheek, and the Dutchman would have no problem dropping in to provide for their runs.
