Milan Said to Be Interested in Barcelona Center-Back | OneFootball

Milan remain in the hunt for more defensive help after signing Mario Gila and weighing but not pushing for Antonio Silva, and they have reportedly bid for Gerard Martin, but they’ll need to put more money on the table to snap him up.

According to El Nacional (via Calciomercato), the Rossoneri tendered €20M, but Barcelona demand €35M. There’s room to haggle on the bonuses and the percentage of a future sale. The center-back isn’t pushing to leave. He starred 51 times last season, and he has two more years on his contract. Still, the Blaugrana could sell him to bring in cash, as he’s a homegrown product. He has three caps with Spain U-21.

Milan identified Martin as a strong candidate to fill out their rearguard, but it remains to be seen how much they’ll be willing to spend. They have slowed down after coming out guns blazing this summer, investing €74M for Gonçalo Ramos and €30M for Gila. They dodged a bullet as far as the latter is concerned. He bowed out due to a muscular problem in a friendly, but it’s only minor.

Per Sportitalia, the Catalans aren’t shopping the 24-year-old and could okay his exit only after securing a strong replacement. They have been mildly attached to Cristian Romero, but Inter are moving fast for the Argentine.

Our Take on Milan and Martin

A lefty who could both deputize Strahinja Pavlovic and also play next to him would pretty much be perfect, but it’s unclear how much they have left in their coffers, and they seem more oriented to make a splash for a no.10