"Alex, would you come to Milan?". This is how the negotiation between the Rossoneri executives and Alex Jimenez, a full-back from the Real Madrid academy, began.
Always one of the most important talents in the Blancos' youth academy, the 2005-born ful-back arrived in Milan in the summer, after three years of scouting and a month of convincing the Spaniards to let him go, under the right terms.
The deal was closed on a loan with a buyout option, set at around 5 million euros. Real Madrid did not want to lose complete control over the player's card and that is why they have insereted a buy-back-clause in the final agreement with AC Milan. Thus, Jimenez became a Rossoner. Now, he's been showcasing his talents for the Primavera team and trains with the first team, too, where he marks the likes of Christian Pulisic as well as Rafael Leao.
As per Gianluca di Marzio, Alex Jimenez will be on the bench tonight for the match against Juventus as he replaces the injured Davide Bartesaghi. Stefano Pioli and the rest of the club management are satisfied with what the young Spanish talent is showcasing and they are hoping he can continue this way and to make more appearances in red and black.
After all, Jimenez has always been a favourite of Geoffrey Moncada's scouting area. Milan's scouts have been following him since 2021 and took advantage of some internal situations at Real Madrid (the Blancos preferred Vinicius Tobias as the right-back prospect) to seal the deal.
With technical abilities as an offensive minded full-back, at Milanello, he is especially working on the defensive phase to improve that aspect. But his profile was followed by many top clubs in Europe, including Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Marseille had also tried last year, sending an official offer.
Instead, now Alex is growing under the experience of a former full-back like Ignazio Abate, coach of the Primavera team, who played over three hundred games with Milan and won a Serie A title.
Source: grandhotelcalciomercato.com
