AC Milan will be quite busy in the summer transfer window. There are some positions to reinforce, players to sell or let go on a free and other targets to pursue.
One player who may bid farewell to the club is Olivier Giroud. He is wanted by Los Angeles FC and it seems that an agreement in principle has at least been verbally formalised. Therefore, the Rossoneri club directors will search for a new striker in the market to replace their veteran star who is 37 years old.
As reported by the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport this morning, Olivier Giroud seems ready to finish his career in America. The possibility of the French striker leaving at the end of the season was tangible, and the player himself had announced that at this stage of his career, nearing 38 years old, he would choose 'as a footballer and as a family man', in a recent interview.
The opportunity with Los Angeles FC, where his long-time friend Hugo Lloris has been playing for a few months, is very concrete. It's not an economic issue; otherwise, AC Milan would have easily countered the offer of the Americans for the Frenchman.
According to rumours, there is a provisional agreement between the Frenchman and the Californian club for an 18-month contract. The final decision and Olivier's signature are still pending, but all signs seem to point towards resolving the agreement.
With Giroud destined for the United States, the need for a new Rossoneri center-forward becomes even more urgent. A true number 9 is needed at Milanello.
The club's plan, according to the source, was to sign a new centre-forward anyway in the summer, even if Giroud were to stay.
The names who are on the shortlist of Geoffrey Moncada and his colleagues are Viktor Gyokeres, (25-year-old Swedish player of Sporting Lisbon with a release clause of 100 million euros which could be negotiated to reach a lower fee), Joshua Zirkzee (22-year-old Dutch centre-forward of Bologna. If Bayern Munich don't purchase his card by triggering the buy-back clause which is set at 40 million euros, the Serie A club would request around 60 million euros to any interested club), and there is also 20-year-old Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko, but RB Leipzig has recently invested in him, costing a minimum of 50 million euros.
Then, the Mexican 22-year-old talent Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord, costing 60 million euros (he also has an Italian passport).
Low-cost solutions include 24-year-old Canadian player Jonathan David of Lille and 28-year-old Guinean centre-forward Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart), but at the moment, they would be considered secondary options.
