AC Milan have already wrapped up a deal for their new starting striker, but they are not stopped there and are pursuing Antonio Silva.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report that Milan want to strengthen the backbone of their team. Mike Maignan is seen as crucial in goal, while Goncalo Ramos will arrive to spearhead the attack after a huge €70m investment.
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The next step is the addition of a new starting centre-back. In consultation with Rúben Amorim, Milan’s transfer team has identified another Portuguese player represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes: Benfica’s António Silva.
Negotiations will kick into high gear today, as the agent meets with the Portuguese club’s leadership in Lisbon. It will be crucial meeting, potentially decisive.
Mendes pulling the strings
Jorge Mendes will inform his counterpart of his client’s wishes, i.e. to leave Benfica. Antonio Silva made his decision after not being called up to Portugal for the World Cup. A bitter disappointment, which pushed the 22-year-old to think about a future away from Lisbon.
He arrived at Benfica at the age of 13, establishing himself as a first-team starter at 19. Now, he feels ready for a leap forward and for this reason he has nipped the contract renewal negotiations in the bud.
In a recent interview, he was asked about his contract and said: “I don’t know if I’ll sign.” It is an important detail for Milan too, because Silva’s current agreement with the Eagles has an expiry date of 30 June 2027.
What does this mean? Without an extension, Benfica will be forced to sell him in the summer, unless they see him leave for nothing in a year. All of this naturally affects the price, which the Rossoneri hope will be as low as possible. How much? Around €20m, logic says.
Meanwhile, yesterday Benfica finalised the signing of another defender, Clément Lenglet from Atlético Madrid. This move is only tangentially linked to Silva’s future, given that the Frenchman is left-footed, unlike Antonio. The arrival of one does not necessarily mean the immediate departure of the other.
That said, the Portuguese’s aim is to secure a move elsewhere before the season begins. Antonio Silva did report to the training centre yesterday for the squad gathering under new coach Marco Silva. However, he is banking on being at Milanello before mid-July.
Amorim – whom he has only faced as an opponent in heated derbies against Sporting – is ready to welcome home, alongside an old friend in Gonçalo Ramos, with whom he rose to prominence under Roger Schmidt at Benfica.
Optimism
The task has been entrusted to Mendes, who will lay the groundwork with the Portuguese club today before presenting a complete package to Milan, including the final transfer fee (€20m) and a salary proposal for the player (€3m per season – double his current wages – running until 2031).
In Italy, the feeling is that the deal could go through, unlike the situation with Juventus who tried unsuccessfully over several transfer windows to pry Antonio Silva away from Benfica. Incidentally, the Bianconeri’s most recent attempt was quite recent.
Damien Comolli had already inquired with the Lisbon club about the cost of the deal before leaving his role as the club’s CEO. This works out well for Milan, as it removes one rival from the race for the Portuguese defender.
The Rossoneri have other names on their defensive shortlist, but – much like the pursuit of Ramos for the attack – Cardinale appears intent on fulfilling new manager Amorim’s wish by bringing Silva to Milan, thereby reinforcing that spine.
His good if you watched the club world cup he was the best defender
I wonder if there’s time to register the club for the upcoming season as AC Mendes?
The sad part is that Mendes would make a better director than anyone we’ve had since we won the Scudetto.
Would have prefer Mario Gila