A few days ago, during a meeting with the press at Casa Milan, Igli Tare, the new sporting director of AC Milan, clearly explained the type of striker the Rossoneri are looking for:
“We're taking the necessary time to understand what shape the team will take, but we already have a clear idea of the kind of player we want—someone with the characteristics of a true center-forward who can make the difference inside the box. That’s what we’ve been missing since Giroud’s departure. It needs to be a player with completely different traits than Gimenez, who is not a Giroud-type striker.”
Retegui is appreciated by AC Milan, but...
At the moment, Milan’s top priority in the transfer market is strengthening the midfield, but the club has already started working on securing a new striker—an issue that is expected to heat up in the coming weeks. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Rossoneri’s preferred choice is Mateo Retegui, the Atalanta forward who topped the Serie A scoring charts last season with 25 goals. Milan wants a high-caliber player and is ready to make a significant investment to sign their new number 9, though they are reluctant to meet Atalanta’s current asking price of around €50 million.
Saudi competition:
Milan is starting from a lower base, around €40 million, but there’s a major obstacle: competition from Al Qadsiah, who are prepared to raise their initial €40 million bid and approach the €50 million Atalanta is demanding. At that point, the Bergamo club might accept the offer, but the big question mark remains whether Retegui would be interested. At 26 years old, he may not be keen on a move to Saudi Arabia. Milan, therefore, remains on standby while continuing its efforts to bolster the midfield.
