In the coming hours, the striker’s entourage will inform Feyenoord that Santiago Gimenez wants AC Milan opportunity.
The executives of the Rossoneri club are ready to acquire him on a permanent deal, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
The player is signaling his desire to move to the San Siro, and his representatives are working to make the Mexican forward’s dream of wearing the red and black shirt come true.
Reaching a preliminary economic agreement between Milan and the striker, who currently earns less than 1 million euros net per season, was easy in recent days.
The more challenging task will be convincing Feyenoord to let go of their striker during this winter transfer window.
The Dutch executives, who have already rejected Juventus’ offer for Hancko, are determined to keep their number 29 until the summer. However, Santiago’s official agent, Rafaela Pimenta, and his father, Christian Gimenez (a former player with Boca, Marseille, and various Swiss clubs), who oversees his career, will step in soon to express the player’s desire to change clubs and join Milan’s project.
This would prevent Gimenez from missing another opportunity to test himself in Serie A and take a significant step forward in his career.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Giorgio Furlani, and Geoffrey Moncada had already considered Santiago Gimenez as an attacking partner for Alvaro Morata last summer.
Feyenoord’s high asking price back then (over 40 million euros) led the club to pivot toward Tammy Abraham and finalise a loan exchange deal with Roma (Saelemaekers heading the other way). However, the Mexican forward with an Italian passport has remained at the top of the club's wish list.
Whether Milan can break through Feyenoord’s resistance will become clear soon, as after the initial imminent approach by the striker’s entourage, the club executives will need to knock on Feyenoord’s door.
Milan, a loan deal for Santiago Gimenez is not an option.
The potential transfer must be a permanent one to convince Feyenoord. Even a loan with an obligation to buy effectively amounts to a permanent transfer. Instead, Milan will aim to negotiate the fee to be transferred to the Rotterdam club, potentially tying a portion of it to performance-based objectives: qualifying for the Champions League or winning trophies in future seasons.
Feyenoord’s 40 million euros asking price is deemed excessive, and the Rossoneri management intends to negotiate. Meanwhile, the club hopes to utilise funds from Strahinja Pavlovic’s possible sale to Fenerbahce to mitigate the cost, a potential down payment for the investment planned for the 2025-26 season.
Kyle Walker deal delay - What is the issue?
At Milanello, Gimenez would join Kyle Walker, with the possibility of both debuting together in the derby on Sunday, February 2.
An agreement between Manchester City and the Rossoneri club has essentially been reached, based on a loan with an option to buy. However, the Englishman’s arrival in Italy has been delayed to tomorrow or Friday.
Why?
After completing medicals and signing a contract until 2027, Walker will need to return to England to obtain the necessary residence permit to finalise the transfer. As a result, he will only begin training with his new teammates next week, either before (Tuesday morning) or after (Thursday) the Champions League trip to face Dinamo Zagreb.
He will, however, be available for the derby. Emerson Royal will make way for Walker in the UEFA list, regardless of whether the Brazilian accepts a loan move or decides to stay in Milan.
Davide Calabria, a product of Milan’s youth academy, cannot be replaced by the outgoing City player.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport in today's print edition.
