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Juan Arizala seemed to be one of the first names for the January mercato. However, AC Milan did not land the young full-back, with him instead heading to Udinese.
Before the New Year, there were several links between Milan and Independiente de Medellin full-back, Arizala, who was seen as a player for the future. Born in 2005, it seemed he would join the Futuro and develop there or on loan.
However, a deal was never finalised, despite the ‘Here We Go’ stamp being given by Fabrizio Romano. So, he headed to Udine, instead.
Why Arizala went elsewhere
Today, Federico Spada, who is the Sporting Director for Independiente, spoke Tuttomercatoweb about the transfer, and how far the Rossoneri got in negotiations and his words have been relayed by MilanNews.
“AC Milan was there before Udinese, but we didn’t reach an agreement. The day before the cup final against Atlético Nacional, Udinese made an offer. The player told us he wanted to go there to try to play.
“They had presented the sporting project to him differently: if he went to AC Milan, he would probably have to go on loan, while with the Friulians he would have gone straight to the first team.
“The boy immediately fell in love with the project, also because of the history of the various Colombians who have played in Udine. So he expressed his desire to us.
“Udinese obviously matched AC Milan’s terms. However, the player’s desire was to play for Udinese.”
With him heading to Udine, he will still probably be on the Diavolo’s radar, and scouting may continue. Of course, the cost of a move will now be increased if one is to be made in the future. However, he would arrive with Serie A experience.
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