GdS: ‘A giant Devil’ – Milan readying ‘decisive assault’ for Monaco powerhouse | OneFootball

Paulo Fonseca saw Youssouf Fofana first hand during his two seasons with Lille and now he wants him under his orders in view of next season, a report claims.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) reports this morning, Fonseca saw all of Fofana’s attributes during Monaco’s 1-0 win over his Lille side last season, a game in which the midfielder scored the decisive goal.

The vision of the Milan management is now to have Paulo on the bench, Youssouf in the heart of the midfield to screen the defence and push the team forward, and things are lining up in the right way it seems.

Dwindling competition

The mission is possible, especially now that in Serie A the field has opened up. Juventus have turned to Kephren Thuram, for example, so for Milan it is now question of making the most of their work in recent months and regaining control of the operation.

There are also other clubs in the running, from Atletico Madrid to Premier League sides, but Milan knows they can play at least a couple of cards in their favour. Firstly, there is the fact that the player basically admitted that he would like to come.

More Stories / Exclusive

Zirkzee and Guirassy to Demirovic and David: Milan striker carousel keeps turning

24 June 2024, 21:00

SM Exclusive: Double swoop possible as Zirkzee’s brother is discussed in Milan negotiations

19 June 2024, 18:15

SM: Zirkzee deal reaches make-or-break point with Furlani approval needed – the details

11 June 2024, 17:00

“I think Milan is a really huge club. Everyone knows Milan and its record of achievements. But apart from the chatter in Italy, I remain focused on my mission,” he said to L’Equipe in recent months.

At 25 years of age he feels that the moment is right to move up to the next level and become a leader at a bigger team and in a bigger league, something that Milan could offer him the opportunity to do.

The project

France will close its Euro 2024 group stage campaign against Poland this evening, while at the Rossoneri there is a project that seems tailor-made for him. Milan needs size and balance in the middle and would entrust Fofana with a central role straight away.

The likes of Tijjani Reijnders, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Yunus Musah and Ismael Bennacer are all more natural box-to-box players, and that is why the Frenchman could be unique in the squad and would get a big role.

Contacts that have remained alive until today could soon ignite and get the negotiation off the ground. There will be a discussion on salary, but the feeling is that Monaco would sell for €20-25m, given Fofana has just a year left on his deal.