With the process of identifying the next head coach now concluded, AC Milan are trying to find the right striker for Paulo Fonseca to welcome him to the club.
As Tuttosport (via MilanNews) are reporting this morning, the issue of who will come in and inherit the No.9 shirt that is soon to be vacated by Olivier Giroud remains open, because targets have come and gone such is the nature of the mercato.
For weeks the most concrete name was that of Joshua Zirkzee, but in the last few hours the track has cooled down considerably for two reasons and now risks vanishing definitively.
Firstly there is the very high commissions requested by his agent (€10-15m) and then the face Vincent Kompany – Bayern Munich’s new head coach – made it known that he wants to bring the Dutchman back to the Bavarian club.
There has also often been talk about Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig who, however, will cost €65m and is strongly wanted by some Premier League teams who have deeper pockets than Milan, in particular Arsenal.
A few days ago, Milan met with the directors of Stuttgart where Serhou Guirassy plays. The Guinean scored 30 goals in 30 games last season and has an affordable release clause of €17.5m euros, but his profile is not entirely convincing because of the fears 2023-24 was an anomaly.
The paper adds that Santiago Gimenez seems to be in pole position, a 23-year-old striker at Feyenoord who scored 26 goals in 41 games last season. His valuation is around €50-60m, so what seems clear is that whoever the Rossoneri go for will require a club-record investment.
Let’s not pay Zirkzee agent then 10M, when the alternatives cost 20-30M extra…
Zirkzee : 40m + 15m agent = 55m
Gimenez = 50-60m, possibly lower.
It’s not even 10m extra. And with the same money, getting better player will be advisable.
Gimenez has 26 goals and 8 assists this season as well as 23 goals and 3 assist in 22/23. He is proven goalscorer – I think he can be better than Zirkzee for us.
He’s not proven at all. He’s a dude who scored a goal now amd then in ere
Pavlidis makes much more sense if we want an ere ST
Do you know how much it takes to sign Pavlidis.
Around 20-25M I’d recon. His contract is until 2025
I won’t lie that I don’t watch Eredivisie at all – so I’m just looking at numbers.
Basically Gimenez in Eredivisie for 2 season and in first season he outscore Pavlidis – and he was on course to record another top scorer in first half of this season – before injury happen and he lost form.
He is also 2 years younger (23 v 25)… So serious question, why Pavlidis is much better than Gimenez? (except price, as he is undoubtedly cheaper Imo)
It’s not just about goals.. pavlidis is a way more complete forward sure he is older but 23, 25. Who gives a f about 2 years?
Last but not least, he’s playing for az and making those numbers while the other is in feyenoord with better teammates..
Gimenez is a poacher. The last poacher that was somewhat successful for Milan was Bacca. Pavlidis would lead the line much better if you go look at his of the ball stats vs gimenez of the ball stats.
I see, but it will depend on how Fonseca want the team to play though.
If we look at the team, we have 2 great wingers and multiple decent b2b mid. In theory with better tactics they can, and will create plenty of opportunity for the striker. So if Gimenez is above average with plenty of talent he could work.
Think fonseca will adapt to the player he gets. Example, at roma he had Dzeko at lille he has David at sahtar he had both types
You don’t think Gimenez’ agent will want a commission? LOL!!! They all do.
They will want commission, true, but normally agent commission will be smaller. Around less than 3m.
For example, for recent incoming transfer CDK agent got 2,8m. Origi agent got around 500k, and Thiaw agent 400k.
Its not normal for agent to get more than 5m for one transaction. And it’s something that shouldn’t become normal – they have got enough money as it is.
Gimenez will be cheaper. In the winter he was worth 50 milllion. After a terrible second season half I think you can get him for 40 milion.
Yes, the standard of Italian journalism in 2024…
Add 10M and try for šeško. Or take 10M and activate Dovbyks clause
And how much do you think Sesko agent’s commission would be?
No idea. A billion? I’d had him redrumed if I was in football business, no joking. Hitmans are much cheaper than commissions. Every single agent who’d ask for a ridiculous sum. Redrum.
It’s interesting they don’t want a 17.5m striker but a triple or almost quadruple times of striker’s cost including agent fee. I hope they are not delusional. Splash 60%-70% of the budget fund into one single damn player.
I think your missing the wages the strikers are requesting. If the Stuttgart striker asked for 6 million for example than that’s probably the reason why they aren’t going for him.
Guirassy is asking 8ml and milan will never pay that much
Ac Milan tend to buy a player from other league. They consider serie A player especially italian are overpriced.
I’m Mexican and let me tell you that he is overrated af, basically a young Belotti.
Whoever we sign, don’t forget to sign Pavlidis, that dude will be a banger.
Who ever is left at the end of the window we’ll go for, we won’t compete with any other club. Even tho I do agree with the club on commissions, give a dog a bone he will come back for more. its really sad to watch our transfer windows where we only scavenge the scraps after. If we where serious we’d have our striker by now
Also like to add that when we knew for one year we needed to replace Ollie, why is nothing prepared? Why are we waiting in the dark when we knew this for so long. Its like we are waiting for opportunities that will never arrive
How do you know nothing is prepared? Are you included in Milan’s Monday Morning email list?
OR are you going by what the media is feeding us? Was last summer not an indication of how Milan work? Everything is hush hush & quiet. 🙂
At the end of the season we will have Origi, Jovic and Colombo leading our attack at the rate we are going. Serhou is by far the easiest target and I am sure they can drive down his salary during the negotiations. Otherwise they will just have to go to South America for some obscure player if they want any cheap deal done. And this agent fees is becoming stale, why are we the only club being screwed out of deals by agents…is it coincidence or have we inadvertently played ourselves out of the market ( people quote figures and we run for the hills).
I am sick reading about the search by ASSOCIAZIONE COMMEDIANTI MILAN (also known as AC Milan) for a striker. Wanna make a bet we will end up with Jovic after all this hullaballo?
Fingers crossed if we actually afford him.
A good addition if it can be done. So much believe in him.