CorSport: Milan call Dragusin – negotiations underway with Spurs over initial loan deal

Despite Koni De Winter’s positive performances recently, Massimiliano Allegri wants a bit more peace of mind in defence.

As Corriere dello Sport report, Allegri still wants to add another central defender to the squad, so as to have five players (plus David Odogu, who has only played a handful of minutes so far) available for three spots in the remaining 16 matches this season.

The search isn’t easy because Milan’s intention remains to explore the market for a player with good experience, who is either low-cost or could arrive on loan with an option to buy. Oh, and ideally they can play all three centre-back positions.

Dragusin ticks the boxes?

One option that’s being explored is Radu Dragusin at Spurs, who has previously played for Juventus in Serie A as well as Sampdoria, Salernitana and most notably Genoa, where he earned a Premier League move.

His English adventure, however, isn’t going as well as the Romanian had expected. He played nine games and just 242 minutes in his first year in England, then 28 appearances for a total of 2,180 minutes last season, and only six appearances this season.

Bad luck has largely held him back: a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee one year ago in a Europa League match against Elfsborg cost him 11 months of football. He would return on December 28th.

Photos by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images and Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Giorgio Furlani and Igli Tare’s idea is to offer Spurs a loan with an option to buy, thus delaying the future permanent signing by six months. The English club, however, would like further guarantees, in essence an obligation to buy.

Beyond possibly reaching a financial agreement with Tottenham and the player’s entourage, Milan will need to carefully evaluate whether Dragusin is physically ready to return to the pitch consistently. Allegri wants a ready defender who can be called upon immediately.

Milan are also working on the acquisition of Lazio’s Mario Gila for the summer transfer window, taking advantage of his contract expiring in 2027. It would be very difficult to bring the deal forward to January. Ljubo Puljic of Bayern Munich’s second team is a name for the future too.