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A striker might not be AC Milan’s final signing of the summer, because a central defender could arrive to complete the rearguard.
As Corriere dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, the imminent acquisition of Victor Boniface won’t be an instant financial burden for Milan because Igli Tare has managed to defer the payment to next year, if indeed the €30m option to buy is used.
Thus, the sporting director still has a small ‘nest egg’ set aside this summer to try and acquire players useful to Massimiliano Allegri’s tactical plan. Some of these could be late opportunities, particularly in defence.
One more centre-back?
The regular use of a three-man defence to this point by Allegri means that Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic and Koni De Winter might not be enough. Zachary Athekame and Davide Bartesaghi are there too, but they are more full-backs.
It’s therefore not out of the question that Tare could intervene during the final ten days of the transfer window to strengthen the defence. Among the names being pursued is Caleb Okoli, a 24-year-old Italian currently playing for Leicester City in the English Serie B, with a value of €10-15m.
More experienced players could also be considered: Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae – who was explored in early June – has a salary too high for Serie A (€8m net per year), while there are some doubts about Barcelona’s Andreas Christensen’s fitness.
Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior is popular at Milan, but the Gunners have not yet agreed to a sale. A ‘sure bet’ is Berat Djimsiti of Atalanta, an experienced player who knows the league and has become accustomed to various positions in the three-man defence.
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