GdS: How and why Milan wrapped up €20m deal for Genoa star in less than 24 hours

AC Milan have moved very quickly to secure Malick Thiaw’s replacement, agreeing a deal for Koni De Winter within 24 hours.

This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) confirms that Milan have wrapped up the signing of De Winter. Negotiations with the Belgian defender from Genoa were virtually sealed last night, and the clubs have begun exchanging documents.

In other words, the details are still missing, such as the length of the payment period, but it can be considered a closed operation. The Grifone will receive €20m, including bonuses, with Juventus receiving a percentage of the sale.

Inter had explored the idea of signing the defender, who came through the club’s youth system, but failed to make a move because Bisseck and Pavard are still in the squad. Galatasaray and Bournemouth had also made inquiries, but were never close to signing him.

Milan, faced with the need to quickly replace Thiaw, stepped up their pressure. First he reached an agreement with De Winter (a five-year contract worth €1.8m per season), then they began negotiations with Genoa, helped by excellent relations as the Lorenzo Colombo deal shows.

Image: Fabrizio Romano

Serie A dactor

De Winter’s name didn’t appear on Tare’s notebook yesterday morning or Saturday afternoon. Milan had long been exploring options like Giovanni Leoni of Parma and Pietro Comuzzo of Fiorentina, but the high costs of both deals kept the club from pursuing them.

This was also because, until a few days ago, Rossoneri executives believed their central defenders would remain unchanged. Newcastle’s offer for Thiaw and the German’s desire to try a different adventure changed the situation, so the directors went for a replacement who knows the league.

De Winter is perfect in this respect: between Empoli and Genoa, he has 68 Serie A appearances and an advantage: he knows Massimiliano Allegri and his football, given that he was the coach who gave him his professional debut in the Champions League match against Malmo in December 2021.

From a character and technical standpoint, Max and his staff immediately approved the deal. Now the goal is to have him available as soon as possible because the Coppa Italia round of 32 match against Bari is looming.

The timing

Milan’s plan is to close the deal in the next few hours. Preferably today. The initial offer of €16m plus bonuses failed to secure Genoa’s approval, as they were asking €25m to let the 23-year-old from Antwerp leave.

The gap was narrowed last night, after hours of phone calls, because the Belgian had already chosen Milan and expected the Rossoblu to accommodate him. Since the Rossoneri also didn’t want to waste time, they adjusted the fixed salary portion of the offer and worked on the bonuses.

If there are no hitches in drafting the contracts, Koni could be in Milan as early as today and undergo his medical tomorrow. This would allow him to train with his team-mates on Wednesday or even tomorrow afternoon.