No squad list was released yesterday by Manchester United. As usually happens for home games, Amorim will only gather his men this morning and then announce his choices. Rasmus Højlund is expected to start on the bench, but in the manager’s decision, the transfer market will “weigh in.” And Milan is a very interested observer in what happens today in United-Arsenal: if the Dane ends up in the stands or on the bench (without setting foot on the pitch), then the last resistances to his departure would be overcome, even though in reality the negotiations for Furlani and Tare would still not be straightforward.
For Højlund, it’s essentially a one-way ticket. In recent talks with the Manchester club, his entourage has opened up to the possibility of leaving in order to embrace Milan’s project. But on one point he has been firm: he prefers a permanent transfer, or at least conditions that would allow the Rossoneri to buy him at the end of the season. He does not want his Manchester-Milan flight to come with a “guaranteed” return across the Channel. He doesn’t intend to find himself in the same situation again next summer. The former Atalanta man expects a buyout clause not at €40 million, but at a lower figure. The rest he will have to earn on the pitch, by delivering a strong season that convinces the directors at the RedBird-owned club to buy him outright.
The coming week will be decisive in determining the outcome of the story: Milan has, in the expected time frame, received the green light from both United and the player for the deal, but cannot afford to wait too long to close it. Starting tomorrow, they will keep working on the Dane, while also making sure to keep other options alive.
Nicolas Jackson being monitored by Milan?
Among the alternatives, one of the hottest names is Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson: on Friday Maresca made it clear that Nicolas will leave the Blues, and the Senegalese forward has long been on Milan’s shortlist. Tare spoke with his agent, Ali Barat, last weekend in London. Like Højlund, he is not a classic penalty-box striker, but he does have international experience and a strong desire to bounce back, as pointed out by La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
Are there other names followed by Milan to reinforce the attack in case the Hojlund deal collapses?
Boniface of Leverkusen has been on the list for some time, same for Juve's Vlahović, though he continues to score for Juve (and has a massive salary). Embolo, at odds with Monaco, has been offered several times, but so far doesn’t spark much interest. Gonçalo Ramos has price demands that are too high and has said he wants to stay at PSG. Finally, Krstović: Milan inquired about the cost of the deal (€30 million including bonuses), but did not push forward with Lecce, while Atalanta have moved in should Muniz not arrive immediately.
Will Milan go back for the Montenegrin if the Højlund deal collapses?
