Before letting Alexis Saelemaekers speak to the media, Bologna's sporting director, Giovanni Sartori, described the negotiation with AC Milan that brought the 24-year-old Belgian to Emilia-Romagna on loan (with an option to buy) in the following way. Here are his statements:
"The negotiation began in June. At first, there was no opening from Milan. But then, when we realised there was an opportunity, we acted quickly, and we closed the deal in just one week."
Bologna's director, Sartori, continued to talk about Alexis Saelemaekers:
"Alexis is a versatile and multifaceted midfielder and forward, a utility player. Now it's up to him to show that we made a great choice."
