One of the things that is dominating the media headlines at the moment is AC Milan’s search for a new striker and there is very little in the way of encouraging news.
Olivier Giroud will leave the club but Luka Jovic is not seen as being ready to take the step up to play as the starter, while Noah Okafor has been used more on the left or as a ‘false nine’, while other options like Lorenzo Colombo and Francesco Camarda aren’t ready.
Knowing who Milan’s No.9 for the future is will make it easier to bet on sports, but below we have summarised the recent developments in the papers and beyond.
Replacing Giroud
Whilst Milan offered Giroud an extension on his deal to stay at the club, the terms of the renewal meant that the Frenchman’s game time would shorten massively, which was a less-than-ideal situation in the striker’s eyes.
Understandably, after scoring 15 goals and assisting eight times in Serie A this season, he will have felt capable of another season at the top level, but a move to America was preferred due to the Rossoneri’s plans to invest in his heir.
Giroud spoke to Le Figaro about the move to Los Angeles and he explained some of his reasoning for heading to the other side of the world.
“It’s a bit of everything. Being away from my family during international weeks, travelling a lot, playing more matches weighs on me,” he said.
“I made a more family-friendly career choice by signing with Los Angeles FC. Everyone knows that when you leave for the United States, it is more difficult to return to the national team. In any case, I feel an undeniable physical and mental fatigue.”
The heir
According to multiple sources and our own information, negotiations between Milan and Joshua Zirkzee’s agents have entered a stalemate phase because Giorgio Furlani and Kia Joorabchian remain fixed in their positions.
The agent says that €15m in commissions are needed to close the deal in addition to the €40m release clause but Milan will not pay that amount either now or in the future because they have set out a more principled stance.
The preferred other avenue is believed to be bringing Artem Dovbyk to the club. However, Corriere dello Sport recently reported that this may be a challenge in itself, given Milan have also lost ground in the running for the Ukrainian striker, largely due to them pursuing Zirkzee so heavily.
There are two clubs ahead of Milan now in the race for Dovbyk, and those are Atletico Madrid – who may lose a striker themselves this summer – and Napoli – who are preparing for life without Victor Osimhen.
