Tuttosport: ‘Franculino for Allegri’ – Milan target move for €40m Midtjylland sensation

AC Milan are on the hunt for a new striker, and there is an option form Denmark that seems to have caught the management’s eye.

According to this morning’s edition of Tuttosport (via Eurosport), Franculino is very much on Milan’s radar, a Guinea-Bissau international who also holds a Portuguese passport and has qualities that suggest a future at the top level.

Bayern Munich had already considered securing him this summer before the auction for him erupted. According to the paper, Midtjylland are already asking €40m, considering the potential future of Franculino.

Milan have been studying the forward for some time and are in good company. Among the contenders is Roma, who will see the 21-year-old up close tonight in their Europa League match against Midtjylland at the Stadio Olimpico.

Gian Piero Gasperini, like Allegri, is also seeking a centre-forward, and the fates of the two clubs could become intertwined in January. It happened at the end of August when the Dovbyk-Gimenez swap deal was spoken about.

Also on the list for Milan are Mateo Pellegrino and Joaquín Panichelli, while it is believed that the sale of Gimenez – who West Ham have come forward for – could help finance the move for Franculino.

Franculino_dju56 / Instagram

Franculino’s rise

Despite his young age, Franculino has already scored 52 goals and provided 13 assists in 100 games. A former Benfica youth player, he arrived in Denmark on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 and immediately it became clear that it was the right step.

In the first half of the season, he scored 12 goals and provided 5 assists, earning the ‘Discovery of the Season’ award. Franculino’s goals also earned him a spot at the Africa Cup of Nations with Guinea-Bissau, the national team he chose to play for despite also holding a Portuguese passport. However, they failed to qualify for the next edition of the tournament.

This season so far he has 19 goals and three assists in 27 games for the Danish outfit, including 14 goals in 15 Super League games, plus three in four in the Europa League.