Milan's lion Zlatan Ibrahimovic has lifted the spirits of Rossoneri fans since his arrival, but it is becoming more evident that the club will have to invest in a forward for the future. The player is out with another injury and Maldini and Massara have been on the hunt for an heir to the Swede's throne.
Milan have not been shy in contacts with fellow Serie A club Sassuolo. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Paolo Maldini plans to meet with their sporting director Giovanni Carnevali immediately after easter to discuss the sale of a couple players. It has been known that Maldini has shown interest in young talent Gianluca Scamacca to add to the attacking department. The Sassuolo player has been on many European club's radars and Milan will certainly face some competition to sign the player.
A new name has emerged in contacts with Sassuolo as well. Hamed Traoré has sparked the interest of those at Casa Milan. The Ivorian player has had success in the attacking midfield department and could be seen as a valuable addition to the squad next year. The player has amassed 7 goals and 2 assists in league matches for the club this year. Milan will need to make a decision regarding their current #10 on loan, Brahim Diaz, and Traoré could be seen as a viable addition to the midfield.
Milan have recently been linked to Italian right winger Domenico Berardi. Reports have suggested now, however, that interest has cooled over the Sassuolo player. Those in Milan are attracted by the profile, but the 30 million euro asking price for the 28-year-old feels a bit steep for the club while there are still other areas of the squad to address.
Maldini is always one to ask for a fair price in terms of purchasing players, so it is expected that a few Milan youth talents could be involved in the negotiations. Sassuolo have shown previous interest in Italian Lorenzo Colombo. The 20-year-old is currently on a loan spell with Serie B side SPAL and has netted 6 goals for the club. Milan also could be willing to part ways with Primavera product Marco Nasti, loaned midfielder Marco Brescianini and even Paolo's son Daniel Maldini- who has just 24 appearances for Milan since 2019.
Milan, too, have had fairly serious negotiations with the agent of Belgian Divock Origi. The player scored at San Siro in a Champions League match this season against the Rossoneri, and the hope is that he will be scoring more goals in the stadium next season wearing a different shift. There is heavy optimism regarding the signing of the player, but that will not stop the club from pursuing the two Sassuolo profiles. Milan are looking to heavily reinforce the attack, and these recent negotians with the fellow Italian club prove just that.
Fierce competition will be faced this summer for both profiles. Scamacca and Traoré have garnered interest from English clubs at this point in time. Scamacca has expressed the desire to stay put in Italy, but only time will tell.