AC Milan are pushing hard to get a deal done for Granit Xhaka as soon as possible, and Igli Tare flew to Germany to accelerate things.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, for the second time in a few months Milan went on a business trip to Leverkusen. The first was with the whole team, at the beginning of last October, for the second match of the Champions League group stage, a 1-0 defeat.
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From what followed it became clear that the squad needed new guidance (from Massimiliano Allegri as well) within the squad. Thus, Tare boarded a plane to Germany to meet with his Bayer Leverkusen counterparts about Xhaka, the number one midfield target.
A blitz in Germany
It was a mission that obviously not publicised by the clubs, who need confidentiality to carry out a complex negotiation. First of all because of the distance, not the geographical one (given Tare was back in Italy in the afternoon) but the economic one.
For Xhaka the Rossoneri are ready to invest €10m. A starting point from which Milan will hardly move, if not a few steps. Xhaka has the characteristics that the club is looking for to strengthen the midfield, he has quality, leadership and experience.
Xhaka started winning in Switzerland, at Basel, continued at the top of European football with a long story at Arsenal and then surprised in Germany at Leverkusen, with whom he was champion of the Bundesliga in 2023-24.
He has become the leader of the Bayer midfield where, according to his contract, he should remain until the summer of 2028. A long and apparently solid bond: Xhaka would certainly appreciate Milan’s interest, but it feels unlikely he will force anything.
The reflections though are obvious. At 32 years old, Granit is a player who is difficult to resell in the future, and this applies to Milan (who in fact will not offer more than €10m) and to Leverkusen, who are inclined to reflect on an offer that is unlikely to come again.
A matter of principle
Since being American-owned, the Diavolo have tended to focus on younger profiles, talents who can develop themselves in the Rossoneri and constitute a solid technical asset.
The club have rarely committed to players over 30, except when a safe guide was deemed indispensable for a young and disoriented team: the precedents – from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Simon Kjaer and Olivier Giroud – have all been productive.
Today the conditions require it: after a season in disarray, the group needs authoritative players, real leaders. Xhaka certainly is: as mentioned, he is used to success and has been a protagonist in several top seasons.
This is in addition to his long experience in the Swiss national team, of which he is currently captain: so far 137 appearances and 14 goals. In addition, the technical and tactical characteristics are those that the new Rossoneri course needs most: interdiction, quantity, ball management and much more.
For all these reasons he is at the top of Tare’s approval rating, who has personally moved to try to unblock the deal. There is no rush, and above Bayer are asking for more than the €10m offered by Milan. The trip to Germany, though, shows the will and above all the possibility of a deal.
Turning the club into albanian tribe with assignment of this Tare. It goes from bad to worse.
Should have appointed an Italian instead.
Ah yes, that’s why Lazio had so many Albanians. Couldn’t move for Albanian footballers in Rome during those years.
I feel he is an upgrade to that midfield you should be optimistic something good will come out tho season let’s all hope and see how the transfer play so relax with a cold bottle of beer
It is actually suspicious. Not impossible there is some foul play behind.
The point is, can serbian players work together with cosovo albanians and vice versa? Can they build that team we need?
I’ll let you know once we get a player from Cosovo.
Ok but if the plan is to bring 4 Albanian players with different nationalities maybe Tare is making money on the side? Like Mistlintat? Really odd…
The players could really bring milan back at the top of the seria a and back to the european games. Xhaka is a leader no doubt. I hope tare s gonna check this out before get them all in our team (serbain/cosovo)…forza rossoneri…
Pity furlani did not go himself …… sure he would have messed it all up without even trying …..