AC Milan’s pursuit of Joshua Zirkzee has now stopped, and instead, they are targeting a completely different striker – Alvaro Morata. However, there is a belief around the club that the Spaniard could be massively important in the team and the mercato.
Going from a profile like Zirkzee to Morata perhaps adds to the fact that Paulo Fonseca played some role in halting the transfer for the Dutchman. However, this is not a bad change if reports are to be believed.
Instead, it proves that Fonseca’s say in transfers is substantial – which was a fear held by some in recent weeks – and it shows that the management and the manager are aligned in their mercato movements, which is only a positive thing.
For some, going from Zirkzee to the Spaniard is a much deeper issue. Not only are the two profiles different, but the age profiles are as well – which is represented in their prices. For the Bologna striker, Milan would spend around €75 million for a striker who has one season with 10 or more goals at the elite level.
However, for €13m, the Rossoneri could get Morata, who may be a less attractive option, given he is eight years older than the Dutchman. Nevertheless, his stats are ridiculous at the elite level, and this must be considered.
In the past five seasons, he has scored 10 or more goals in four of them, all at an elite level. He has heaps more experience than Zirkzee, as well as being more experienced in Serie A, and above all, he costs €60m less.
As Tuttosport (via Milan News) writes, the striker has not yet decided what his future holds, and he will begin to decide Sunday’s European final. However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has called the centre forward ‘several times’ attempting to woo him.
Additionally, Morata’s potential arrival would not close a door for any other forward signings, and the report suggests that his arrival could be a facilitator for the arrival of Memphis Depay or Tammy Abraham.