Ruben Amorim has clear ideas about how he wants AC Milan to play and who can arrive to help him instil that philosophy.
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According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the transfer window is following a precise pattern so, and Amorim will use it as well. He wants to implement a modern and attacking 3-4-2-1, in which the reinforcements will be instrumental in developing the new coach’s ideas.
He doesn’t require any major upheavals or revolutions, simply some substantial tweaks that will add strength to a squad already considered solid, thanks in part to the shared intention to keep all of the big names.
The mercato plan is clear: the centre-forward comes first, as the absolute priority. The coach will want to evaluate his available resources first, but there are gaps that must be filled regardless. With Goncalo Ramos on the way, it’s time to address the other positions.
The second area where it was decided to make changes is the defence: Antonio Silva could be the second signing of the summer – with a deal around €20m very possible – and it won’t stop there.
Midfield and more
Amorim will also intervene in other areas, perhaps more calmly. There will be some additions in midfield, given the departures of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Youssouf Fofana, and with Modric potentially given a part-time role.
As was the case with the centre-forward and likely will be the case with the defender, the same decision-making process will be followed in midfield. Cardinale wants to please Amorim, and the management team (Almstadt, Gardiner, and Lomonte) will add their own evaluations.
The coach likes Morten Hjulmand a lot, and data analysis supports him. The Dane has already experienced Serie A with Lecce and has been in Portugal for two seasons with Sporting CP. There, he has made 141 appearances and scored 10 goals.
In this area, Jorge Mendes has also suggested Marc Casadò, 22, who grew up at Barcelona, where he has 75 appearances. He’s strong enough to now want to dedicate himself to a new challenge, so an eye must be kept on him.
The transfer market could eventually take a long detour back to where it all began: in attack. Will Ibra’s fascination with Kerim Alajbegovic, the 18-year-old who is starring for Bosnia, lead to anything concrete?
Zlatan, usually reluctant to praise him, has called him a star. There are certainly already foreign and Italian competitors for the young talent, including Roma and Atalanta, but if Milan decide to enter the race they could do so decisively, just as they did with Ramos.