3 hours ago
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AC Milan are looking to complete their defence with a centre-back before the window closes, and according to a report, Manuel Akanji is their primary target.
The season opener against Cremonese highlighted Mian’s flaws at the back and since then, they have been evaluating the centre-back options on the market. Akanji was quickly mentioned as an option and talks have already been started with Manchester City.
According to Fabrizio Romano in his latest YouTube video, there are ‘no problems’ between Milan and the English side in the negotiations. The starting price is £15m (pounds, mind you) and a slight discount could be obtained, for a final cost of around €15-17m.
Salary the only obstacle
However, as the journalist continues, the main obstacle in the negotiations is Akanji’s salary, which is very high by Milan’s standards. The 30-year-old is open to the move but it remains to be seen if he’s willing to accept a sizeable pay cut.
As an example, Christopher Nkunku (who arrived for his medical tests this morning) agreed to lower his salary to €5m per season to join Milan. Just in case, as Romano concludes, Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior is being monitored as an alternative since his move to Porto hasn’t been closed yet.
The upcoming hours should tell us more about the situation as Milan don’t have much time, with the window closing on Monday night.
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