AC Milan could sign Gianluca Scamacca this summer from Sassuolo and have him learn alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, according to a report.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the hypothesis could become ‘very realistic under two certain conditions’. The first is that Ibrahimovic extends his contract, recovers fully from injury and remains a Milan player while the second is that the Rossoneri are able to strike a deal with Sassuolo to sign Scamacca as their long-term centre-forward.
Ibrahimovic and Scamacca are in some way already linked because the Swede has always been an idol for the Italian, and since his return to Milan in the 2020-21 season he has been able to watch him and learn from him in person during their duels on the field.
Ibra’s ability to motivate, advise and encourage younger players – those in whom he recognises the talent to be shaped – might persuade Milan to invest in a player like Scamacca who has undoubted potential.
In the next few days, the 40-year-old will have a meeting with the Rossoneri management to agree a new contract. Once Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara have officially extended their deals they could get to work on Scamacca, but the interest from PSG and the Premier League and the €40m asking price is a tough ask to overcome.
If in the end they became team-mates, Ibra would have the opportunity to devote his attention to the growth of Scamacca who is already showing he knows how to play the role of lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 system with the Neroverdi.
Of course then it would be up to Pioli to come up with a way to best exploit the qualities of the 23-year-old – who scored 16 goals in the league last season – and for the other players like Rafael Leao and potential new signings to develop a relationship that makes a new-look attack blossom.
