AC Milan are ready to make another attempt to sign Raphael Onyedika from Midtjylland after having a first bid rejected, a report claims.
According to Calciomercato.com, Onyedika responds to all the characteristics that Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara are looking for as he is young, physical, reasonably priced and with great room for growth in the future.
He is under contract until June 2026 with the Danish club and is valued at over €8m by them. Milan have offered €4m plus bonuses which was rejected, but they are expected to make a new attempt.
The 2021-22 season saw Onyedika establish himself as he played regularly, won the Danish Cup and was voted Young Player of the Season. His characteristics make him a very useful, modern player who knows how to combine both phases. He is physically strong and is more of a defensive midfielder that breaks up play rather than a playmaker.
Last season he was close to 90% in pass completion, demonstrating good ball playing ability both in short passing and in long balls. Moreover, the report describes him as a skilled presser who ‘would marry perfectly with the movements that Pioli asks of his midfielders’.
He was seventh in successful tackles in the last season, recovering over 300 balls of which half were in the opponent’s territory. In short, Pioli is looking for a combative midfielder and Onyedika has launched his candidacy.
These are all nice stats, but having seen him play, my general impression is that he lacks that little extra that will enable him to be a Milan-player. More probably, he will become a new “Hauge”.
Probably, new “Hauge” is their plan. Sign him for a season to add depth, sell next season for profit. This season he is U21 so he is not counted among 25-men Serie A squad, but next season he is no longer U21, keeping him beyond this season will be a problem for next mercarto.
I’ve not really seen him play but going by what I saw on YouTube, I’d say snap him up. I know many people will say it’s the Danish league but isn’t it still a league? The boy could turn out to be great with time and also Maldini won’t be after him for no reason. I’d like to see this one wrapped up.
Of course, I am an amateur scout at best, like most of us, so I might of course be terribly wrong.
As to the strategy, when Sanches was the main target, the intention was to strengthen the midfield. Onyedika does not do so, and if they only buy for for the purpose of selling him on, that is even more the case.
They are only looking to add depth.
I agree. Sanches was to strengthen (and even potentially improve in some areas) the mid – this kid is a prospect to add who may develop in time – but doesn’t really help us to achieve our goals now – CL and defend title. If M&M want him that’s fine they should be supported but was hoping for a more experienced player to rotate with Tonali and Benny. 8M seems high given our situation that we only have 10-12M left to spend? But I guess we lack options this late in the mercato and with our small budget.
Milan is going for the player to just to try their luck, we are not ready to spend that’s why we are going for him, although I am surprised that Milan are still offering quarter of what’s needed..,..well I hope this midfeild issues does not hurt us later because both tonali and benaceer are injury prone, I can’t imagine bakayoko and krunic in our midfeild
Milan really need to change the way they negotiate. If they really believe he is the “perfect” option, then just give them what they are asking for and get it done. It’s not that much. They always come in with these lowball offers, drag out every negotiation until the bitter end, and almost never get the player they want. Start behaving like a big club.
At 21 he can only get better, i looks like the real deal to me