GdS: ‘€50m for two signings’ – Milan working on double swoop for Spurs and Monaco duo

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·14 May 2024

GdS: ‘€50m for two signings’ – Milan working on double swoop for Spurs and Monaco duo

AC Milan are planning to invest €50m in two players that they believe are necessary signings to bolster the defence and midfield, according to a report.

According to this morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below), Milan are not just at work to fix the centre-forward issue. They want to sign a defensive midfielder and a full-back, and two names are circled on their wish list: Emerson Royal and Youssouf Fofana.

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The Brazilian on the wing

Milan want a full-back in addition to a centre-back and ideally they want a player who can cover both sides, a trend that started when Diogo Dalot arrived on loan from Manchester United in 2020 and continued with Alessandro Florenzi.

The management are looking for a player with international experience but at the right age and Emerson Royal ticks these boxes. In January he turned 25 but on his CV there are spells in LaLiga with Real Betis and Barcelona, and the Premier League with Spurs plus 12 appearances for Brazil.

Milan were keen on Royal in the past when he also ended up in the sights of top clubs like Bayern Munich and PSG, but the discussions did not get too far. Things could change this summer, because the Rossoneri are keen to bring in a player who has been more of a reserve under Ange Postecoglu.

The issue, if anything, is the asking price. Tottenham still believe in his qualities and for this reason they value him at €30m, more or less the same amount invested to bring him to London in 2021.

The Monaco hound

Fofana is the same age as Emerson: he and the Brazilian were born in January 1999, four days apart. With Monaco – where he arrived four and a half years ago from Strasbourg – he has just celebrated qualification for the Champions League.

The next edition will be his long-awaited debut in the tournament, but he could also do so with a different shirt. The idea of playing in the UCL with a red and black shirt on appeals to him, as he admitted in an interview a few weeks ago.

Milan can add another weapon of seduction: they have a project that seems designed especially for him. In the squad at present are Reijnders, Loftus-Cheek, Musah, Bennacer and Adli who are all box-to-box players, meaning a defensive midfielder is missing.

Fofana has the right physicality and characteristics to fill the gap and he doesn’t lack experience either. He is part of Didier Deschamps’ French national team and played in the World Cup final which they lost on penalties to Argentina.

When clubs came forward for him in the past, Monaco returned the offer to the sender, including the €35m put on the plate by Nottingham Forest. Today, however, there is a factor that can change things: Fofana’s contract will expire in a year and Milan can obtain an advantageous price, not exceeding €20m.