The salary demands of Mehdi Demiral could put an end to AC Milan’s pursuit of the former Atalanta defender, despite there being so little of the January transfer window left.
As reported by Tuttosport (via Pianeta Milan), the economic side of the operation to sign Demiral on loan could let the whole thing down.
He is a player that Milan have long been interested in signing, but he moved from Atalanta to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli during the summer transfer window.
There now seems to be a lot of players trying to leave Saudi Arabia, but they are on incredibly high salaries that most European clubs cannot hope to match.
He moved for €18m but Milan want to sign him on loan until the end of the season. It is not clear exactly how much money Demiral is earning at Al Ahli, but it is thought to be more than Milan can pay for the remainder of the season.
This would mean asking for some help from Al Ahli to take away one of their best players. Other targets are being evaluated and Stefano Pioli has made it clear that he needs a new defender before the window shuts.