Italian journalist Alessandro Jacobone has explained that AC Milan have been working quietly on a deal to make Roberto De Zerbi the new head coach but hopes remain over a Thiago Motta-Joshua Zirkzee double deal.
Jacobone spoke to Calciomercato.it about Milan’s search for Stefano Pioli’s potential successor, with there being a very real chance of the coach being replaced at the end of the season with one year left on his contract.
Bologna have been one of the best teams in Serie A this season and are the current favourites to take fourth place and a Champions League spot, and that is largely down to the work of Thiago Motta as coach and Joshua Zirkzee as their main source of goals.
Milan need a new striker in the summer and the idea of acquiring both Motta and Zirkzee is a very real one, as Jacobone explains.
“It is interesting that AC Milan is using a courtship tactic so that the player really feels the club’s desire to bring him to the Rossoneri. This I know has been appreciated, but it is too early to say whether this will be enough. However, I know for sure that he would like to continue playing in Serie A and if he were to be paired with Thiago Motta, it would be ideal for a player to make the jump to a big team. Zirkzee has shown that he is not afraid of the San Siro and could do so with a coach who has exalted him, it would be a useful comfort zone for his growth. I also understand that Bayern do not want to bring him back home,” Jacobone said.
Motta’s is not the only name that has been linked with Pioli’s job. Another option is Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, but Milan need to be aware that Juventus could soon be in the market for a manager given the poor form of Massimiliano Allegri’s side.
“Watch out for Juventus, who after the latest results, has put the idea of continuing with Allegri back on the back burner, reopening the door to Motta. There have been recent contacts and he may fit in,” he said.
As Jacobone puts it, Milan have been ‘working with the lights off’ for De Zerbi, meaning they are going about the deal quietly, away from the press as much as possible.
“I know that AC Milan are working with the lights off on De Zerbi. They do so in the knowledge that he wants to return to Italy. Let’s also remember that his deputy is Andrea Maldera, a frequenter of the Milan world. The Rossoneri want to try, but there are difficulties: there is a €13m clause, which for a coach seems a lot, but if you want to plan a future, you cannot stop at this negotiable figure. Milan will try,” Jacobone said.
