Milan Scouted Udinese Defender from up Close Last Week | OneFootball

Milan are in the hunt for a center-back after not grabbing one late in the window, when it became apparent that Massimiliano Allegri would use 3-5-2 as his go-to formation, and took a look at Thomas Kristensen during the recent trip to Udine, Calciomercato reports.

The Dane has taken on more responsibilities following the departure of Jaka Bijol. The Friulani added two youngsters, Saba Goglichidze and Nicolo Bertola, to substitute for their previous stalwart, trusting their incumbent players.

Milan have very little depth behind their three starters, as Koni De Winter is the only deputy, and were impressed by how Kristensen performed against Inter earlier in the season. He’s among the top Serie A defenders for clearances and successful duels.

A few sides, especially Aston Villa, inquired about the 23-year-old right before deadline day. The Bianconeri slapped a €15M price tag on him, and he stayed put. Given his age and trajectory, he’d remain on the Rossoneri radar for the future if the counterparty didn’t want to lose him in January. He joined from Aarhus for €5M tow years ago. His salary is very modest.

Our Take on Milan and Kristensen

If that was an audition, it surely didn’t go great, as he had his worst showing in months. He’s fine in general and has impressive physical skills. Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia, and Strahinja Pavlovic have been solid so far aside from the opener, and De Winter is a steady hand. The Udinese man has upside and would be okay to simply add to their corps. However, considering Allegri’s style, they could become a fortress if they signed a proven star at the position.