AC Milan are going for a new-look midfield again this summer, which means that Leon Goretzka is not the only target.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) begins with the premise that there will be some departures. Youssouf Fofana and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have their bags packed, while Luka Modric must decide whether to stay another season, as his team-mates, the club and fans hope.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
Half of the current midfield is at real risk of departing (only Adrien Rabiot, Ardon Jashari and Samuele Ricci would remain). Warren Bondo, Ismael Bennacer and Yunus Musah will return from loans and only the latter has a chance of convincing Massimiliano Allegri, so there is work to do.
Goretzka plus one
It’s no secret that Allegri has asked for Goretzka, who will fight with Bayern Munich for a spot in the Champions League final next week. The German will be released on June 30th, and despite offers from Juventus and other Premier League clubs, the Rossoneri have made considerable progress.
The idea of moving to Italy and living in Milan appeals to him, and confidence is growing. When Bayern’s season is done things could accelerate, as Goretzka wants to make a decision before the World Cup. The offer on the table: a €5m net per year deal until 2029 (plus an option).
Goretzka’s arrival on a free transfer doesn’t rule out (and actually encourages) the arrival of another quality midfielder, a box-to-box player. It would be a younger player with high potential, like the idea was with the negotiations for André with Corinthians that ultimately collapsed.
Milan have not stopped pursuing Javi Guerra, who was a concrete target last summer before he extended his contract until 2029 and before the Rossoneri signed Rabiot. The Spaniard’s name could be a hot topic again, despite being left-footed like Adrien and Valencia considering him a key player.
However, the Spanish club are in the bottom half and will finish outside the European qualification zone. Guerra will turn 23 in two weeks, and time is undoubtedly on his side, but he’s ambitious and a new call from Milan could convince him.
At that point, Valencia would need to be convinced to sell him, having included a €100m release clause in the new deal to discourage a snatch by Real Madrid or Barcelona. Guerra is not the only target, though.
Ismael Kone is a name to watch. He also has height and physicality, as well as the ability to run into the opposition box and score (six goals so far in Serie A). Milan’s secret agents have already seen him in action on several occasions and have given good reviews, but there is competition.
Sassuolo – Milan’s opponents on Sunday – want a bidding war to erupt. They could also ask for a counterpart like Christian Comotto or Francesco Camarda, two players the Diavolo would rather keep control of.
“the arrival of another quality midfielder, a box-to-box player…”
While Ismael Kone and Guerra are very good players who may be useful to us, we are yet to go after a real number 6.
Fofana, Jashari and Ricci are all box-to-box midfielders. We need an elite tough tackler, a proper defensive midfielder who acts as a screen for the defense.
This has been one of the major problem of our squad, I have been screaming for us to sign a destroyer for almost three seasons running.
Yup. Plus Ricci and (to me) specially Jashari have shown they have the potential and can add to the squad. Remember even our beloved Sandro Tonali, had a pretty average first season. Jashari got hurt bad, spent a ton of time coming back and when he was on, he did reasonably ok.
We don’t need a number 6 unless we change system to a 4-man defense.
3-5-2 means that the defense can handle themselves for the most part. The midfield’s most important task, is to shield Modric.ik the regista position. Two mezzalas whi can run back when needed, which is what Rabiot and Fogans does.
If we change to 4-3-3 though, then we need a new type of midfield, and I agree with your assessment.
A more classic Italian trident, with a destroyer in the middle, a mezzala to the right and a trequartista type midfielder to the left.
My comments is specifically for Ac Milan.
Wingbacks in a 3-5-2 formation are allowed to roam the flanks and support the attack, but at Milan even as attacking minded as Theo was, we almost killed his game with extreme defensive duties as is also demanded of Leao right now.
Instead of setting up with 5 defenders, we need to setup with 3 defenders and a defensive screen to support the defense.
Each time I watch Milan matches, we always appear fragile because there’s no destroyer to do the dirty work, you often see Modric, Rabiot and Fofana all attacking together and are ofter out of position when the opposition counter attacks us because none of them naturally is built to sit back and screen the defense. This has been recurring for a very long time at Milan.
Kessie contract expired next season, we all know our midfield w/out him, he cam defend well & not bad passer/ shooter
Suggest a realistic name for a good number 6 please? That is, please give a name as an example and everything will click. You did not have to type that much…
Kessie or Beni if he stay healthy, other is too expensive for current mngmt
Casemiro, Ceballos, Frattesi in; RLC, Pulisic out