AC Milan's transfer market activity has not yet truly got underway, having started somewhat later than its rivals due in part to the lengthy selection process conducted by Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimović for the executive figures who will support the new head coach, Rúben Amorim. In recent days, the Portuguese manager has made several calls to some of the squad's most important players, above all Maignan and Rabiot, to reassure them about the new sporting project and reiterate their central role within it. However, he is naturally also expecting new signings to complete the squad.
While waiting to understand which concrete opportunities may emerge in terms of departures, according to Sportitalia the Rossoneri club and its new Director of Player Trading, Hendrik Almstadt, have begun exploring several possible options to strengthen the squad. One of these leads to Portugal, specifically to Benfica, where Richard Rios (the Colombian midfielder born in 2000) is not entirely happy with his first season in Europe. Despite playing extensively, making 45 appearances, and producing encouraging statistics (8 goals and 6 assists), the former Palmeiras player, who was also pursued by Roma last summer, is not ruling out a move elsewhere in search of a new destination.
According to Sportitalia, AC Milan are among the clubs that have started gathering information about his situation and making initial enquiries. Informal contacts have been made to assess his potential willingness to move to Italy and the terms being demanded by Benfica, who signed him from Palmeiras for around €27 million a year ago and tied him to a contract running until June 2030. Atlético Madrid, Bournemouth, and Napoli are also said to be interested in the player.
