Longo: Milan want ‘more experienced’ centre-back to become ‘leader right away’ | OneFootball

AC Milan are in the market for at least one more centre-back this summer and there is a particular mould of player that they want.

A report from Daniele Longo for Calciomercato.com begins with the rather damning statistic that only Lazio among teams in the top nine places in Serie A at the moment have conceded more goals than Milan (45 to 39).

Milan’s defensive difficulties have been well documented this season, and only in recent weeks has Sergio Conceicao found a bit of solidity with the change to a three-man defence. With the new system, the Rossoneri have conceded just twice in their last five games.

In the summer, the management signed Strahinja Pavlović from Red Bull Salzburg for €18m, but the feeling after the first few months is that he must grow both from a tactical and a technical standpoint to be considered an immovable starter. Thus, more is needed to complete the department.

The desire for experience

A new defender should arrive in the summer, given that Malick Thiaw and Fikayo Tomori are in demand. Geoffrey Moncada and co. are looking for ‘more experienced profiles who can become leaders in the department right away and with favourable contractual conditions’.

Who could arrive? Cristhian Mosquera is certainly a profile that Moncada has been pushing for. Even though he is only 20 years of age he is a starter at a club where pressure is high, and he plays for the U21 Spanish national team. His deal expires in 2026.

There are some domestic options being evaluated too: Koni De Winter of Genoa (who is also liked by Inter), Mario Gila of Lazio and Oumar Solet of Udinese. The oldest of the aforementioned names, however, is Solet at 25.