After reaching the agreement with Club Brugge for Charles De Ketelaere, AC Milan now have the opportunity to focus on other mercato pursuits. The defence remains a priority, as does the midfield, with a few targets outlined.
Given what the squad currently looks like, including De Ketelaere, it only makes sense for Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara to shift focus to the defence. Stefano Pioli currently has Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu available, but a capable backup is needed.
Matteo Gabbia has done very well in pre-season but the Rossoneri intend to send him out on loan, thus guaranteeing him much more playing time. Therefore, that leaves Pioli with Simon Kjaer as the backup, and his condition is very uncertain for now.
In an ideal world, Kjaer will be the backup for Kalulu next season and a signing will be the backup for Tomori. Japhet Tanganga of Tottenham could be the perfect profile in that sense, but the left-footed Abdou Diallo of PSG has also been mentioned lately.
Compared to the midfield, the defence is more of a priority as Pioli has Tommaso Pobega, Yacine Adli and Rade Krunic to rely on for the midfield tandem (back-up wise). Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer will be the starters.
Milan need to offload Tiemoue Bakayoko before making any signings for the midfield, although convincing him to leave shouldn’t be that hard.