Milan want Sao Paolo star to replace injured Caldara

Caldara’s injury has forced AC Milan to look for a new defender and Sao Paolo star Rodrigo Caio has emerged as the number one candidate.

In the last training session, before the Sampdoria match, Mattia Caldara suffered what appeared to be a slight injury. However, further medical examinations later revealed that the 24 year old centre back will remain out for three months. Bad news for Gennaro Gattuso who viewed the former Atalanta as the long-term partner of Romagnoli in defense.

The only options on the bench now remain Cristian Zapata and youngster Stefan Simic. The Colombian is not a reliable choice and also the starting Musacchio so Milan must look for reinforcements. Sporting director Leonardo made a business trip in Brazil a few months ago to identify potential targets and one defender who caught the eye of Leo was Rodrigo Caio.

According to reports from Brazil, AC Milan have accelerated their pursuit on the Sao Paolo star. The 25 year old centre back with an Italian passport is an old target of the Rossoneri. In fact, Milan have been monitoring Caio since Galliani’s time but a move has never materialized.

Rodrigo Caio is one of the best defenders in Brazil and has made more than 270 appearances for Sao Paolo, scoring a total of 13 goals. Even if Mattia Caldara hadn’t been injured AC Milan would still sign a new defender due to the lack of reliable choices in the back line.

Rodrigo Caio