With a head coach and management in place, AC Milan are beginning to think about new additions to help Ruben Amorim.
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Milan’s mercato plans are not fully underway having started somewhat later than their rivals, partly due to the lengthy selection process by Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic of the management team to support new coach Amorim.
The Portuguese coach has made several calls in recent days to some of the squad’s key players – Maignan and Rabiot above all – to reassure them about the new coaching project and reiterate their central role, but he clearly also expects some additions to complete the squad.
Fishing in Portugal
According to Sportitalia (via Calciomercato.com), the Rossoneri are starting to explore several potential opportunities to improve the squad. One of these leads is in Portugal, specifically the Benfica midfielder Richard Rios.
Despite playing 45 games last season and responding encouragingly statistically (eight goals and six assists), the former Palmeiras star – who was also want by Roma last summer – hasn’t ruled out a move to find a new home.
The report adds that Milan are among the clubs that have begun to inquire about his situation and conduct initial inquiries. Informal contacts are underway to ascertain his potential willingness to move to Italy and the terms offered by Benfica.
The Portuguese giants acquired him from Palmeiras a year ago for around €27m and signed him to a contract until June 2030. Atlético Madrid, Bournemouth, and Napoli are also said to be pursuing him.
Either way, it seems Milan are in the market for a new defensive midfielder, which – as we highlighted in our tactical analysis – is one of the key parts of Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.