With Tijjani Reijnders gone and Yunus Musah expected to follow, AC Milan need coverage and quality in the middle of the pitch.
The rumour mill is whirring, constantly, right now. Every minute of the day, it feels like a new name or idea is linked to Milan. Then, each continues to be updated, so the picture is a little unclear about what the Rossoneri are actually prioritising. Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below), though, have written about the situations and priorities.
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The preference
Target number one is Granit Xhaka, and it seems unlikely that this will change just yet. There is a ‘feeling’ present with him that he could move to the Rossoneri and bring success, there is an aura, almost.
With the player open to the move, it is more about Bayer Leverkusen’s situation, and they are not really open to the idea. A long contract is present, though the terms are favourable if an exit was to materialise. For now, the club will try.
A mix of everything
With Luka Modric and Xkaha on that note, the club get experience that still possesses quality. These are the two qualities seemingly being prioritised by the club. In recent years, the focus has been on emerging talents, rather than established names.
However, the club will not stop on that path. Today, links to Ardon Jashari have become prevalent once again, with Igli Tare expected to meet his current club. Perhaps, this could be done instead of Xhaka, considering he is seen as his heir, as the report alludes to.
There is also Javi Guerra, the Valencia midfielder, who is also heavily rated. He would cost less than Jashari, and again, the Diavolo are present, and have already begun to lay the foundations of a move.
I’m not convinced to Xhaka. He is a solid player, but at the start of the season he will be 33 years old already, so paying for him feels like waste of money. Nobody will ever buy him out at that age and he might start to decline really fast.
If he would be available transfer-free, then yes, why not, but this feels like Lucas Biglia.
Wieffer makes more sense… his price went down due to injuries, but he’s young enough to bounce back quickly…
Wieffer, Ricci, Modric and Fazzini would complete the midfield
I adore your football philosophy…..Add young gem like Jashari, Javi Guerra and Perhaps Simon Sohm to already Fofana and Bondo we will have two great squad.
He is a leader though and he was the lynchpin of a title winning leverkusen team. I look at what Kjaer, a player who is an old head and protagonist and leader for his national team brought to the team that won the Scudetto and i feel like Xhaka could bring similar. We’ve missed someone with grit and a controlling presence in midfield with bennacer declining and no really standout holder since Jessie or tonali left
I was just about to write about the Biglia trauma but you beat me to it
I dont fully agree with the names we are being linked, but at least i will give the new management credit for trying to balance experience/youth. Even with the likes of RLC, Walker etc, we had one of the youngest squads. Cant really win with that, you need some experience and leadership. Similarly, Inter showed that if you go with experience too much, you might get burned and not win. (they had one of the oldest st 11) . They’ve done very well recently, but this year they got burned.
Ardon Jashari is a beast. I am beginning to trust love Tare’s moves. He seems very prepared and knows his onions.
A mix of every foreign players
“A mix of everything” = no plan.
Jashari is a stellar move if Tare can pull it off. This is the kind of signing you appreciate him for. Xhaka isn’t a bad option either to muscle up the Mid.
Xhaka/Fofana around Modric is balanced. But the Croat isn’t playing 38 games, so who’s the backup?
Xhaka – Jashari – Fofana
Modric is the backup.
Sure, if they actually sign the Macedonian.
use the TJ money to buy Rovella. Immediate improvement to the midfield with a player on the cusp of greatness. Doesn’t matter if Milan has to use most of the TJ proceeds if you want quality you have to pay for it.