SM: Alternative to Thuram emerges from Belgium – the numbers and asking price

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan are looking for a new centre-forward ahead of the 2023-24 season and their search has taken them to Belgium.

According to what our colleagues at SempreMilan.it have learned, there are some difficulties that have emerged in the pursuit of Marcus Thuram, namely the ‘excessive’ requests for salary and the competition of PSG.

However, he is not the only option being considered because a profile highly appreciated by the new de facto sporting director Geoffrey Moncada is coming back into fashion at Casa Milan in Victor Bonifcace.

Encouraging numbers

The 22-year-old striker currently plays for Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise and scored 22 goals in 55 appearances last season across all competitions.

He was particularly impressive in the Europa League as he netted 6 goals in 10 games as Union SG managed to reach the quarter-finals of the competitions which was an unexpected run.

Price tag

The 22-year-old is currently valued at between €10-15m. The Nigerian centre-forward still has a three-year contract with his current club (expiring in 2025) but his latest performances have attracted the interest of several clubs, including Milan.

Tags AC Milan Victor Boniface

42 Comments

    1. Boniface ist definitely a familiar name if you follow european football – with a strong physique and 1,89m he is fitting well in our system as a lone striker in 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3

        1. Of course you will like the idea of any player that comes up so far as Maldini is gone and has left the transfers for you to handle 🤣🤣🤣

          You will definitely like any name that pops up.
          I’m still waiting to see the clue they are coming up with.

  1. “scored 22 goals in 55 appearances last season across all competitions.”

    Wow! You can’t even call him a “one season wonder” yet as the 22 goals aren’t enough for that. Nothing to cheer about and I’d rather take Colombo than waste money on him. No matter what the Moneyball says.

        1. Cool, there is a guy that scored 50 goals this calendar year, maybe Milan should get him. Doesn’t matter against who or at which level, he has 50 goals this season. 😀

        1. “Keep in mind that Pioli misused CDK by playing him centrally while at Brugge he operate on both flanks.”

          I dunno where CDK scored his goals in Belgium but being in the center should provide him MORE scoring chances than playing wide. He had plenty of chances to convert but… I wouldn’t blame Pioli for all the missed chances.

          1. The heat map suggest during his last season at Brugge, he mostly attack from flanks. He is not someone who wait in the box.

          2. I disagree man, see how Leao is way more decisive when he’s playing close to the sideline. When Pioli was stubborn and made him play more centrally he had little impact. De Ketelaere had a nice performance in the last game against Verona and he was playing closer to the RW position.

          3. “The heat map suggest during his last season at Brugge, he mostly attack from flanks.”

            Yes, I know but where did he score his goals in Belgium was the question. That would be interesting to see because he certainly couldn’t convert any chances inside the crucial 7-9 meters distance. From absolute sitters.

            “He is not someone who wait in the box.”
            Neither is Leao but 90% of his goals comes from inside the box. Same goes for Saelemaekers.

          4. “I disagree man, see how Leao is way more decisive when he’s playing close to the sideline.”

            Leao didn’t even get chances when playing centrally. CDK had plenty of chances but failed to convert.

          5. @Rossi: looking at heat map is better than position on paper.

            @bb: what matter is not where the shot came from but his movement in freeing himself. Even if half of the goals were shot from central area, in those goals, he mostly move from the sides when approaching the ball. The other half of the goals are not from the center (by center, I mean 6 yard box and in front of it; it is not about being inside the box). As for Leao, he played centrally few times this season but was ineffective.

          6. “The heat map suggest during his last season at Brugge, he mostly attack from flanks.” WAIT. You mean we’ve been using statistics to analyze players all along? I’m dumbfounded.

          7. @Vero: sempremilan (this site) created a scouting report on CdK last summer, it has the heatmap, not sure if Pioli has it though.

      1. Dude, we’re not going to get him. If Thuram asks for 7m per year for 13 goals this guy is going to ask for 10m.😆😬🙄

  2. Alright, the figures are on par with our current reality, why not. He’s young, promising, go for it.

    I have all faith in Moncada’s judgment. Vranckx and Adli were left behind by Pioli’s confusing management. Same with Thiaw before he finally got an opportunity. De Ketelaere shouldn’t be labelled a failure yet, his price tag was hefty but it’s the market for young promising prospects. Claudio Echeverri, 17 yo from River Plate, already costs more than 20M and he didn’t even play for the first team in the modest Argentinian league.

    I still wonder what’s happening with Mateo Retegui, there is no news recently about him going anywhere. Also, Armando Broja will be back soon with Chelsea but he’s coming from a big injury and Chelsea is reportedly looking for a world-class striker, so he might be a nice depth addition on loan.

  3. Maybe we get CF alternative, or alternative of alternative. We have to prepare 10 alternative, with requirement free but good quality(if possible). The best is if low salary, free transfer, underrate +good quality like haaland

  4. Belgian league – 31 games – 7 goals. Before that Norwegian league 15 games – 6 goals. I would predict he is on the level of Messias but younger. Expected target but waste of money, I honestly thought Moncada is a wizard and he will bring out some unknown young players and we got Football manager scouting for an English Championship club level. People that score a few goals against 3rd and 4th tier teams or teams that work 9-5 before games are not really super talents, they just got into a situation where they look like they are. Boniface is exactly that. And at 15-20M. LOL

    1. I really don’t know him and the Belgian championship, but maybe he’s surrounded with pedestrian players and it’s more difficult to score. Perhaps with Leao and Chukwueze it could work well. And he would be a back-up for Giroud at first.

      1. He is playing against same kind of players, defenders he is playing against are under English Championship level. He scored 7 goals in 31 games. What? Milan doesn’t have money to waste

  5. Jesus H Christ! Last year CDK had even far better numbers in Belgium league, and look what happened! Now, again, they’re trying to sign a new young player from Belgium?!? Yet, they blamed Maldini for the failure of De Katelare, now they’remaking the same thing,just because they’re unwilling to offer Thuram a serious pay!
    Also, what happened with the new Italian NT striker from Argentina?! Or they’re waiting for him to start scoring for the NT these following days, in order to regain their “interest” for him?! In the mean time, teams like Inter, Napoli, maybe even Juventus, will offer a real money and again, they’ll leap-frog us!
    F**kin hell! With such a person, like Cardinalle and his money attitude, we should be lucky to sign anyone like Giroud again in 5, 6 years!

    1. Last year CDK play as SS (mostly drifting to flanks, rarely at central position). This season he was misused by Pioli who put him centrally at AM, like a fish out of water.

  6. What about Beto? He is valued as much as this half-player and he has proven that he can score double digits in Serie A in a weaker team. I’m 100% sure he is already better than Giroud, which isn’t hard. He is closer to Dzeko in terms of the quality, if he had the team around him, he would be around 20 goals per season easy. And he can receive a long pass, hold up the ball, actually pass towards his teammates with his head etc. For Boniface he is Van Basten. If that is the level of targets for Milan, Beto is the best available cheaper striker and he is 25.

    1. Unfortunately Beto’s name has been disappeared, but he will be the good addition. mightbe 30 to 40m which our owners will not put some money.

      We need players like him, if we have to win atleast some italian cups. Hot bored with young players formula.
      We are debt free, so we should invest

      1. But he is literally the perfect guy for this model. Cheap, not old and has numbers to show in a weaker team.
        The only good thing is that they didn’t go for Scamacca, I think every algorithm in the world says, don’t sign, failure. He is a football manager striker, he can only be good in a video game.

  7. Hesitation does not make good Decision
    So Sign him ASAP plus Georges Mikdkenzes from METZ of French League
    He Made his Team Promoted to league 1
    And scored 23 Goals
    So the coast of these two young Empresaive Forwards with Tested Quality is 25M combined togather so they scored 22+23= 45 goals

  8. The only reason we are after him is because he’s in our price range. The rest is PR Spin. This is what we are destined to go after: young unproven players costing no more than 15M and that will fit in our wage cap. Welcome to the new Milan. What a wonderful club lol.

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