MN: AC Milan change transfer strategy
AC Milan have changed their transfer strategy for January and are looking at temporary deals instead of permanent signings.
“If there should be the possibility of signing a player who helps us improve, then why not, in the last market window we didn’t spend what we could have spent“. So declared Paolo Maldini for Sky Sport before the match against Roma. It was last October 26 and the Rossoneri manager, in reference to the winter transfer market, underlined how the club would spend if there were the right opportunities. Now January has arrived and Milan, despite having evaluated many options for definitive purchases, Maldini seems increasingly oriented towards loans. Not for economic reasons but it is a question of opportunity writes MilanNews.it.
The Rossoneri management has chased Simakan for long. Even in the summer the French defender seemed one step away. His serious injury has irremediably blocked his transfer. The examples of Andrea Conti and Mattia Caldara advise attention, great attention. The 20-year-old centre back had already suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in July 2018, a problem that kept him out for almost the entire following season. Now a new surgery for another knee problem. The financial resources are not infinite, which is why, without the right physical guarantees, it is logical to evaluate and move with extreme caution.
Under this circumstances Simakan seems destined to join Red Bull Leipzig, a club that can afford to wait for a player and invest certain amounts with relative calm. Tomori, an alternative to Simakan, is a profile that would come on loan from Chelsea, without spending much and without guarantees of playing continuously. Tomori would go to solve a numerical problem until the return of Gabbia. In the summer, the club will evaluate how to act, also based on Kalulu’s performance, increasingly convincing both as a full-back and as central defender.
If Tomori is still a negotiation, Meite is instead a done deal. Milan had tried to sign Kone but preferred not to meet the asking price of Toulouse. The Rossoneri could have offered ten million euros just like Borussia Monchengladbach but it should be remembered that Kone would have been the fourth choice in midfield. Meite is not a prospect and will probably never become a champion but the Rossoneri have secured him for just one million (for the loan) which could be followed by a possible reward (another eight million).
Meite is a ready player, he knows Serie A well and will give a hand immediately in a decimated department. If he does well, Milan could keep him at an affordable figure, otherwise Maldini will turn to other profiles. And for the attack? The strategy is similar. Milan do not want to burden themselves with hasty investments, which is why the Mandzukic idea is being considered for six months, not eighteen. The last January market (apart from Saelemaekers) shows that experienced players are more functional than young talents while the season ongoing.
READ MORE: AC Milan complete first January signing