AC Milan are the second-top scorers in Serie A this season, and yet all the signs point towards a revolution of sorts in the attacking department this summer.
As our colleagues at SempreMilan.it report, Geoffrey Moncada and his team of collaborators are preparing for some quite substantial changes among the forward ranks and it starts from the fact that Olivier Giroud will leave the club.
The Rossoneri mercato team are therefore working on the purchase of the next number nine, an investment they likely would have had to make anyway even if Giroud weren’t leaving to join Los Angeles FC in MLS.
The future No.9
In the list drawn up by the management, the name at the top remains that of Joshua Zirkzee of Bologna. The Dutch striker is considered the ideal profile to complete Milan’s 2024-25 attacking unit due to several factors.
First, he has shown himself to be ready for the Italian league. Second, in terms of playing style, he seems to mix well with both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, meaning that he could bring the best out of others too.
To snatch Zirkzee from Bologna it will be necessary to spend a sum of around €50m: a high price but one which is comparable to the asking prices set for the other profiles followed by the Rossoneri.
Benjamins Sesko of RB Leipzig and Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord are both quoted at between €40-50m, whereas Sporting CP sensation Viktor Gyokeres now appears to be out of reach at €70m+.
To date, only two less expensive alternatives remain standing: Jonathan David, whose contract with Lille expires in 2025, as well as Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy who has a release clause of less than €20m.
Who will remain
As mentioned, in the summer Giroud will definitively leave Milan on a free transfer to start a new adventure in the USA. As for the other strikers currently in the squad (Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor), the picture is not very clear, but one piece of data could shed light on their future.
The data in question concerns goals coming from the bench. With 14 goals scored, Milan are in fact at the top of the rankings of the ‘top five’ European leagues in terms of the number of goals scored by substitutes. It is even a record in the three-point era for the club.
Of the 14 goals scored by the ‘reserves’, eight are divided equally (four and four) by Jovic and Okafor, a fact that underlines how their perfect role is to come off the bench.
Combining this concept with the costs relating to their wages (combined they earn €3.8m net per season) it seems obvious that Milan will want to use their services in the future too.
Going into detail, Jovic was a truly thoroughbred striker for Milan in the month of January. The former Fiorentina man saved the Rossoneri from total collapse against Salernitana, started the comeback against Udinese (then completed by Okafor) and scored the decisive goal against Frosinone.
Okafor, in addition to Udinese, was decisive in the return match against Lazio, which was won thanks to his goal.
The other names
For a Zirkzee that arrives (or could arrive), there should be a Camarda that remains. The Italian striker is considered among the best 16-year-olds in the world, and he has potential that Milan do not intend to let slip away.
At just 15 years, 8 months and 15 days he entered the history of Serie A by becoming the youngest debutant ever, a record that has aroused the interest of top clubs such as Manchester City and Manchester United, who however find their hands tied due to the regulations.
What are these regulations? Due to the new post-Brexit rules, Camarda could only play in the Premier League after turning 18 and this means that, even if they reach an agreement, it would take another two years until they see him.
On the other hand, it is no mystery that Camarda is very close to Milan, the club he supports and which welcomed him when he was a child. The negotiations between his family, the agent and the club are also progressing well after some small initial hitches.
The idea is to sign his first professional contract in July because in this way Milan would ‘gain’ a year. The three-year deadline would in fact be moved to the end of June 2027, rather than 2026 as would happen if he signed earlier.
Of course, the prospect of Camarda playing in the first team next season seems low, but the rate he is scoring at certainly accelerates his development and he could well be one of the centrepieces of the U23 project the club hope to launch.
As we highlighted in a recent Substack piece, it has not been the season Milan would have hoped for when they sent Colombo on loan to a team just up the road in Monza.
While the striker has shown his qualities at times, even scoring against the Rossoneri, he has been far too inconsistent with just four goals in 22 games for Raffaele Palladino’s side.
What fate awaits him? He is unlikely to return to Milan and stay. From what we have learned the club will try for another loan but if the opportunity arises a permanent deal cannot be ruled out.
There was talk of interest from Torino but for both him and Tommaso Pobega things seem to have changed on that front compared to a few months ago.
The wingers
Rafael Leao got the winning goal for Milan against Fiorentina at the weekend, and he answered some questions about his performance and his future after the game which reassured fans.
He is the star man in the attack and his numbers continue to attract interest from top clubs around Europe, yet the Portuguese winger continues to reiterate his love and gratitude to Milan publicly.
As a result, there is currently not much panic regarding a summer exit. If a colossal bid were to come in then it would be evaluated, as they would for any player, but for the time being things have gone cold on the PSG front for example.
Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic’s father has said that his son loves Milan and ruled out the idea of him going anywhere before next season. Mark Pulisic also added that he would be happy if Zirkzee signed from Bologna.
The American winger has potentially been the Serie A signing of the season as he cost €20m and has scored 12 goals across all competitions so far, as well as picking up eight assists.
Samuel Chukwueze rubbished any speculation that his stay at Milan might be a short one after a disappointing first half of the season at his new club when he reported for the African Cup of Nations.
His recent upturn in form has been reassuring, as he has taken advantage of more consistent minutes to demonstrate the qualities that convinced Milan to make him their most expensive summer signing.
Luka Romero will return from his loan at Almeria and be evaluated, while the Leao deputy role seems likely to be filled by Okafor again since an investment in a new left winger is not planned.
