Zlatan Ibrahimovic will take care of the transfer campaign this summer and has already set the three signing priorities for AC Milan.
Only nine matches remain until the end of the season. AC Milan are in a comfortable position and practically assured to play Champions League football next season while trying to overcome Roma in Europa League. Another management revolution is set to take place within the club with Giorgio Furlani demoted to financial tasks only and Zlatan Ibrahimovic take care of the sporting part. The permanence of Geoffrey Moncada is also in serious doubt.
In any case it will be Zlatan Ibrahimovic to take care of all transfer business starting from the summer. The former Swedish striker has established himself as the most important person in the club and the closest to owner Gerry Cardinale. Even if a minority shareholder ends up acquiring a part of the Rossoneri club it will still be Zlatan to take care of the mercato and his plans are clear.
While the summer transfer budget hasn’t been decided yet AC Milan are rumored to be spending a figure of around €150 million with part of the budget coming from the sacrifice of an important player. Regarding signings, the priorities of Zlatan Ibrahimovic are very clear: AC Milan will invest significantly to sign one top centre forward, one defensive midfielder and one right back.
The two primary targets for the attack are Joshua Zirkzee and Benjamin Sesko. Both players are very young but they command significant fees. Sesko, who has scored 11 goals and provided 2 assists, has a release clause of €50 million. Zirkzee has found the back of the net on 11 occasions and has provided 6 assists. He has been one of the main drivers of Bologna’s unprecedented Champions League ambitions this year. Zirkzee too has a similar market value to Sesko.
The situation is more ambiguous on the midfield front regarding names. However, it is certain that a defensive midfielder will arrive. In the last two years AC Milan have made two costly mistakes. First, Franck Kessie was never replaced and later Sandro Tonali was sold and he too was not replaced. Sporting Lisbon’s Morten Hjulmand is excelling in Portugal after two successful seasons in Italy. The Rossoneri keep monitoring him.
The third and last transfer priority of Ibrahimovic is the signing of a new right back. While AC Milan have one of the world best left backs in Theo Hernandez, the situation is different on the other flank. Davide Calabria has been a reliable figure but his output is nowhere near that of Hernandez. A new right back will arrive to challenge Calabria for a starting jersey. It is not excluded that the captain could bid farewell to Milan soon.
