AC Milan’s strikers have struggled to score consistently this season. Well, all but one: Andrej Kostic, who will arrive in the summer.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport speak about a number nine, owned by Milan, playing in Belgrade, who has even reached double figures for league goals this season. His last goal was less than a month ago, on April 18th, and it was a winner.
At the end of March, Kostic became Milan’s first official signing for the 2026-27 season for €3m. Born in 2007 in Montenegro, he’s someone in Serbia they compare to Dusan Vlahovic (they have the same agent) and his scoring record is impressive.
After Lamine Yamal, Kostic is the U21 player with the highest goals and assists per 90 ratio in the world’s 50 major leagues (considering those with at least 720 minutes played). In short, Milan seem to have made a good selection.
A future marksman
In his first full season as a pro with Partizan Belgrade, Kostic has played 39 games so far, scoring 12 goals and providing one assist. Among U21 players in the top 50 leagues – with at least 720 minutes played – he ranks third in goal participation with 0.92.
In practice, nearly one goal per game comes from his feet. Ahead of him are Lamine Yamal (1.01) and Matviy Ponomarenko of Dynamo Kyiv (1.07). Also in the top ten is Can Uzun, best friends with Kenan Yildiz, the Eintracht Frankfurt starlet and a hot name for the upcoming transfer window.
Milan have been following Kostic for some time. He’ll join Milan Futuro in July, but Massimiliano Allegri will likely keep a close eye on him, especially given the dreadful period his current attack are experiencing.
Kostic is a physical (188 cm), technically gifted, but somewhat atypical centre-forward. Besides being a focal point, he’s also good at linking the play. A bit like Harry Kane in profile, albeit with a lot more rough edges to round out, as is expected given he is a teenager.
This year, Kostic has been on a tear. He’s started 11 of 28 league games, but in his first eight appearances, he scored six goals. Hence, the label of ‘the new Vlahovic’. At the end of April, Red Star won yet another Serbian title, beating Partizan 3-0.
Kostic came on for the final 20 minutes of a Marakana match that was terrifying, with its chants and choreography. In short, large stadiums and heated atmospheres don’t scare him. He also already had a taste of Italy last September, when he scored against the Azzurri U21 team in La Spezia.
Mirko Vucinic holds him in high regard and gave him his debut for the senior national team in the World Cup qualifiers in October. One of his best friends is Milan Roganovic, his team-mate at Partizan. In a couple of months, they’ll have to part ways, but Milan will remain at the center of Kostic’s life.