AC Milan are the second-top scorers in Serie A this season, and yet all the signs point towards a revolution of sorts in the attacking department this summer.
As our colleagues at SempreMilan.it report, Geoffrey Moncada and his team of collaborators are preparing for some quite substantial changes among the forward ranks and it starts from the fact that Olivier Giroud will leave the club.
The Rossoneri mercato team are therefore working on the purchase of the next number nine, an investment they likely would have had to make anyway even if Giroud weren’t leaving to join Los Angeles FC in MLS.
The future No.9
In the list drawn up by the management, the name at the top remains that of Joshua Zirkzee of Bologna. The Dutch striker is considered the ideal profile to complete Milan’s 2024-25 attacking unit due to several factors.
First, he has shown himself to be ready for the Italian league. Second, in terms of playing style, he seems to mix well with both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, meaning that he could bring the best out of others too.
To snatch Zirkzee from Bologna it will be necessary to spend a sum of around €50m: a high price but one which is comparable to the asking prices set for the other profiles followed by the Rossoneri.
Benjamins Sesko of RB Leipzig and Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord are both quoted at between €40-50m, whereas Sporting CP sensation Viktor Gyokeres now appears to be out of reach at €70m+.
To date, only two less expensive alternatives remain standing: Jonathan David, whose contract with Lille expires in 2025, as well as Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy who has a release clause of less than €20m.
Who will remain
As mentioned, in the summer Giroud will definitively leave Milan on a free transfer to start a new adventure in the USA. As for the other strikers currently in the squad (Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor), the picture is not very clear, but one piece of data could shed light on their future.
The data in question concerns goals coming from the bench. With 14 goals scored, Milan are in fact at the top of the rankings of the ‘top five’ European leagues in terms of the number of goals scored by substitutes. It is even a record in the three-point era for the club.
Of the 14 goals scored by the ‘reserves’, eight are divided equally (four and four) by Jovic and Okafor, a fact that underlines how their perfect role is to come off the bench.
Combining this concept with the costs relating to their wages (combined they earn €3.8m net per season) it seems obvious that Milan will want to use their services in the future too.
Going into detail, Jovic was a truly thoroughbred striker for Milan in the month of January. The former Fiorentina man saved the Rossoneri from total collapse against Salernitana, started the comeback against Udinese (then completed by Okafor) and scored the decisive goal against Frosinone.
Okafor, in addition to Udinese, was decisive in the return match against Lazio, which was won thanks to his goal.
The other names
For a Zirkzee that arrives (or could arrive), there should be a Camarda that remains. The Italian striker is considered among the best 16-year-olds in the world, and he has potential that Milan do not intend to let slip away.
At just 15 years, 8 months and 15 days he entered the history of Serie A by becoming the youngest debutant ever, a record that has aroused the interest of top clubs such as Manchester City and Manchester United, who however find their hands tied due to the regulations.
What are these regulations? Due to the new post-Brexit rules, Camarda could only play in the Premier League after turning 18 and this means that, even if they reach an agreement, it would take another two years until they see him.
On the other hand, it is no mystery that Camarda is very close to Milan, the club he supports and which welcomed him when he was a child. The negotiations between his family, the agent and the club are also progressing well after some small initial hitches.
The idea is to sign his first professional contract in July because in this way Milan would ‘gain’ a year. The three-year deadline would in fact be moved to the end of June 2027, rather than 2026 as would happen if he signed earlier.
Of course, the prospect of Camarda playing in the first team next season seems low, but the rate he is scoring at certainly accelerates his development and he could well be one of the centrepieces of the U23 project the club hope to launch.
As we highlighted in a recent Substack piece, it has not been the season Milan would have hoped for when they sent Colombo on loan to a team just up the road in Monza.
While the striker has shown his qualities at times, even scoring against the Rossoneri, he has been far too inconsistent with just four goals in 22 games for Raffaele Palladino’s side.
What fate awaits him? He is unlikely to return to Milan and stay. From what we have learned the club will try for another loan but if the opportunity arises a permanent deal cannot be ruled out.
There was talk of interest from Torino but for both him and Tommaso Pobega things seem to have changed on that front compared to a few months ago.
The wingers
Rafael Leao got the winning goal for Milan against Fiorentina at the weekend, and he answered some questions about his performance and his future after the game which reassured fans.
He is the star man in the attack and his numbers continue to attract interest from top clubs around Europe, yet the Portuguese winger continues to reiterate his love and gratitude to Milan publicly.
As a result, there is currently not much panic regarding a summer exit. If a colossal bid were to come in then it would be evaluated, as they would for any player, but for the time being things have gone cold on the PSG front for example.
Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic’s father has said that his son loves Milan and ruled out the idea of him going anywhere before next season. Mark Pulisic also added that he would be happy if Zirkzee signed from Bologna.
The American winger has potentially been the Serie A signing of the season as he cost €20m and has scored 12 goals across all competitions so far, as well as picking up eight assists.
Samuel Chukwueze rubbished any speculation that his stay at Milan might be a short one after a disappointing first half of the season at his new club when he reported for the African Cup of Nations.
His recent upturn in form has been reassuring, as he has taken advantage of more consistent minutes to demonstrate the qualities that convinced Milan to make him their most expensive summer signing.
Luka Romero will return from his loan at Almeria and be evaluated, while the Leao deputy role seems likely to be filled by Okafor again since an investment in a new left winger is not planned.
Striker is the main focus, we need a proper Giroud replacement. Do that, then focus on things like CB or CDM. We have enough wide players already. Pulisic, leao, Okafor, chukuweze, Romero, and Traore should he hopefully come back. We have Hernandez, Jimenez hopefully bought, and bartesaghi at LB. And about 5 RB options. We need to focus on the spine of the pitch
Guirassy or Icardi, get someone new for sub 20M to grow into world class, similar to what we did with Leao.
You can fork out 100M.and there are no guarantees on a #9
What might be smart is to give Okafor more games as no9 this season in rotation with Giroud to see what he can bring…..
We need to get the squad down to 23/24 (same as man city…).
Anybody not mentioned below needs to be sold/released/loaned:
Maignan
Sportiello
Nava
Theo
Bartesaghi
Tomori
Thiaw
Gabbia
Kjaer
Simic
Kalulu
Calabria
Musah
Reijnders
Bennacer
DM – Hjulmand
AM – Zaniola
RLC
Pulisic
Chuk
Leao
Okafor
CF – Icardi
Hjulmand? No chance, he is playing for Sporting who will sell him for 70-80M to an EPL club and Zaniolo isn’t worth the investment.
Well then we prioritise that 70-80m and don’t sign anyone else.
That’s the benefit of prioritising.
Zaniola is low risk because we already have RLC and Pulisic. If he performs he’d be a coup and if he fails we haven’t wasted too much.
Icardi almost guarantees goals, and will be cheap.
Hjulmand has a 69M pounds release clause.
Great.
Make it happen.
One signing.
Hjulmand isn’t going for 70 mil lol, yes sporting is very expensive but he will cost 60 mil Max
That’s what his release clause is 69M in pounds.
We need as a bare minimum,
1. Two aggressive RBs as good as Theo like Jeremie Frimpong and Dodo, and get rid of Calabria and Florenzi (our RB position is one of the weakest position).
2. Two combative and aggressive DMs like Vinicius Souza and Amrabat, and get rid of Krunic and Pobega.
3. A CF like Pavlidis. Icardi would be fine, but damn, his salary higher than Leao’s.
4. I wouldn’t mind having Mason Greenwood for RW.
With these signings, we will add much aggression and pace to the squad.
If RB is our weakest position how come teams mostly attack us down our left?
I’d say our weakest position is our fans who show a total lack of respect for the captain , the team and the club.
“RB position is one of the weakest position” is different from “RB position is our weakest position”.
If a captain cannot be criticised and it is termed “disrespect” then I think I’m supporting the wrong club.
I watch matches and Calabria is often turned inside out, I mean there are some kind of displays befitting of a captain and Calabria doesn’t show that, I may be wrong but maybe my expectations are too high, I should simply accept any level of performance, after he’s the captain. I ought to show respect.
You are supporting the wrong club.
You’re not just criticisng the captain, you want to get rid of him because he doesn’t meet your entirely subjective standards.
Your expectations aren’t as high as you imagine them to be. You seem to want to return Milan to the Banter Era where we kept chopping and changing chasing the elusive dream.
PS If you don’t support the captain why are you bothering supporting the club?
The club is the captain and the captain is the club. He and the players are the ones you are watching right now. They are the ones you need to show loyalty.
If you’re not loyal then what’s keeping you?
You say you’ve got these really high expectations so go and support a team that meets your expectations.
It could be like buying a new pair of jeans or something. Just a transaction. An entirely superficial transaction.
Emotions Emotions Emotions… that’s why we are where we are today.
You stick with mediocrity all because he’s captain?
A player who cannot keep Di Lorenzo or 34 years old Dermian away from the national team?
Look, in a serious club, Calabria is at best a bench warmer. Romagnoli left (even though I thought he was good) Milan didn’t crumble.
What is football without emotion?
Watching 11 men chase a ball around a pitch?
But emotions aside you’re clueless because:
a) you clearly don’t know what a quality FB looks like given Calabria’s performances over the years; and
b) you think constantly chopping and changing the side is going to lead to success.
The latter is what we tried for a decade and all we ended up doing was spending over a billion and winning nothing.
This isn’t a computer game. You don’t just pick the players with the best stats and magic happens. You need a team to win titles and you need some bloody loyalty.
Now go spectate something else.
In what world do we need yet another rw?
And the rest is also garbage, but do tell. Once we get rid of all the Italian players how do we register for the CL games where rules are strict af as to how many homegrown players you must have…
It’s my list homie, make no fuse about it, put up yours and let’s see what you’ve got.
I love Italians, only if they are Barella or Chiesa or… you can name them, not Calabria.
Not to worry, let’s continue to pray nothing happens to Puli, only then will you realise that Chucky isn’t anything special. Look, I’m American born of a Nigerian mother, I can tell you I know both players, and Chucky is nothing more than what he’s shown us. This may not be a popular opinion to defend right now, but I make bold to say it. Only with time will you understand this.
But I hope he does great for us, that’s me being a fan, but realistically speaking, my hopes doesn’t match the reality on ground.
And what would that loser greenwood bring to Milan. As a sub ofc.. jacksĥit
My list is very simple. Buy a dm, hojbjerg. Buy a st, don’t even care who anymore, and fire pioli.
Renew kjaer.
That’s it. That’s all we need.
You see the difference?
A renowned critic who calls one’s list of players garbage and doesn’t “even care who anymore” about his own list of players he wants.
If being a keyboard hero over what others want without having yours makes you happy, then go ahead.
Peace out✌
Wtf do you want me to write? I want fûcking Osi. Can Milan buy fúcing Osi? It can not. So either of these guys we are being linked with (not icradi tho) will be good enough..
Also your list is very garbage. Especially the WeNeEdAbEtTeRrB part
And how old are you please?
That’s a stupid, personal question. I could lie and say I’m 69. Or maybe i wasn’t lying. You’d never know.
It’s a rhetorical question and I wasn’t expecting you to answer it literally, but your response clearly exposes you, but what is so worrying about your response is that it’s obvious you lack love.
Apart from being unintelligent, naive, immature and rude, you are in pain.
Being rude doesn’t show strength, but rather shows how weak you’re.
I shared my opinion, you go ahead and share yours, if you don’t agree with mine, you can choose to read and ignore, comon, I mustn’t think like you. Trying to bully me to accept your opinion while you disagree with mine simply shows the kind of emptiness in your brain.
You’re just a foolish boy, but that’s not an insult. You can learn to be wise. Bozo!
dude got triggered online and im the immature one.
I’m not bullying anyone and i couldnt give a f less if you agree with i say or not. Pretty obvious you have a probelm with what i said tho.. you didnt challenge my points, if there are any, at all but went stragiht for the insults. but yeah im the immature one.
Again – Once we get rid of all the Italian players how do we register for the CL games where rules are strict af as to how many homegrown players you must have…-
enlighten my unintelligent, naive, immature and rude a$$ just on this and i’ll be silent
Bravo!
You win my friend.
Like I said:
Peace out✌
Thought as much
We conceeded a lot of goals more from Theo and midfielder side than Calabria side.
Simple,
Because Theo as arguably the best or second best left back in the world has tremendous amount of qualities, some of which includes tackling and ball carrying abilities. Theo cuts in to tackle in midfield and help carry the ball forward, because of all our midfielders, only Bennacer can actually tackle, all the others are ball-players, passers of the ball, they all lack that aggressive ball carrying of the ball to the forwards ability, like Barella style.
The solution is this, we sign a proper DM so Theo worries less about tackling in midfield.
Teams attack Theo’s side because they know definitely what Milan’s gameplan is, Pioli is so predictable, that’s not Theo’s fault you know.
It all depends on if we secure Saudi investment. If we don’t, it’s basically as before…make do with very little. Unless we intentionally sell a key player again to fund the transfer market. So line up all the freebies or a 20m or two..max
Well if Milan secure Saudi investment I am going to start supporting Como.
Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where we didn’t have to do deals with fascists because we don’t p#ss so much money away on so many pointless signings.
That billion we wasted in the ‘Banter Era’ might have actually produced a stable, winning side.
Sure, because the Saudi’s are much worse than Berlusconi… It’s best not to take the moral high ground.
haha yeah, Silvio was a saint you know
Berlusconi was nowhere near as bad as the Saudi regime that has been responsible for most of the havoc in the world today from the Middle East to climate change.
We all have our limits. The Saudis are my limit.
bruh, dont tell me but you buy all the fake news press and NGO’s give you right?
We are owned by a citizen of one of the countries with more deaths in their side. Be real
My prediction:
1. Pioli got fired
2. Kjaer, Florenzi, Giroud, and Camarda didn’t get renewal
3. Mike, Leao, Theo, Tomori, and Bennacer will be sold
It will be a fun time with some fans cheer and applause especially the ones who hate Pioli and keeps saying Milan needs to sell Mike, Leao, Bennacer, Theo, and Tomori. But on other hand, some fans will be really angry
I agree with 1 and 2, but they will not sell all the main stars. The only real possibility i see is Mike being sold and tbf if it happens i wouldnt be against it for 60+ mil. He is the best GK in the world but he is injury prone and lately has conceded some weird goals. For around 30mil we can get Carnesecchi or even better Di Gregorio and we wouldnt even feel Mike’s absence
Milan deve focar-se em preencher o ataque com zirkzee e dois avançados fixos guirsoy e gimenez
Icardi guarantees goals so would be a good option, however I’ve always liked the idea of Scamacca, include in the deal for de katelaar and we can save some good money.
Also why not keep Colombo as 3rd striker, nothing to lose, with the service he would get from Rafa and captain America…who knows he could flourish, worth a shot, and could save us a load of money again !! Which we could use to get a proper DM – Ricci
Scamacca is shEEt, dont put a Milan jersey close to him please
How about getting Mason Greenwood!
He is just 22 and would be an excellent addition to the team!