“Third time’s a charm.”
Milan are working on the arrivals of Swiss players Ardon Jashari in midfield and Zachary Athekame in defense. Once those deals are completed, the Rossoneri management will be able to focus fully on the hunt for a new striker on the transfer market.
This afternoon’s training session at Milanello gives coach Massimiliano Allegri the opportunity to take stock of the market alongside sporting director Igli Tare and to meet the Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez, who returns from vacation after playing in the Gold Cup with his national team.
Gimenez arrived in the last winter transfer window from Dutch side Feyenoord for €32 million plus €3 million in bonuses and a percentage of any future resale. So far, he hasn’t fully convinced in Italy, scoring 6 goals in 19 appearances.
That’s why Milan are looking for a solid alternative on the market. Uruguayan forward Darwin Núñez (born in 1999, formerly of Benfica) is set to leave Liverpool (he scored in the first of two friendlies played yesterday against Athletic Bilbao, a 4–1 win with the reserves), but his price tag is high and he’s currently in talks with Al-Hilal, coached by former Inter boss Simone Inzaghi in Saudi Arabia.
As a result, Milan’s attention remains on Dušan Vlahović. The Serbian striker (born in 2000, formerly of Fiorentina) is nearing the end of his contract with Juventus, who are looking to offload him to avoid losing him for free next year. The Bianconeri would prefer to sell him abroad, but so far all attempts have failed.
After turning down a move to Turkish side Fenerbahçe, coached by José Mourinho, Vlahović was offered to Manchester United. However, the Red Devils have other plans for their attack and are currently battling Newcastle for Slovenian forward Benjamin Šeško. Newcastle have offered RB Leipzig €80 million plus €10 million in bonuses and are trying to fend off Liverpool’s push for Swedish striker Alexander Isak, as pointed out by those at Calciomercato.com.
