In addition to increasing the number of goals scored, a task that will mainly be assigned to the new center forward, Milan absolutely needs to reduce the number of goals conceded: these are the two directions along which the Rossoneri summer transfer market is moving. The offensive production will be the responsibility of the next 9, while the defensive phase will also involve the midfielder: national teammate Youssouf Fofana, involved with Deschamps’ group at the European Championship, will be able to contribute to protecting Maignan. With France and especially with Monaco, Fofana asserts his physique in front of the defense, interrupts the opponent’s action and restarts his own team’s action. Which doesn’t mean completely giving up targeting the other penalty area: last year he scored four goals in Ligue1. For all this, Milan is willing to spend 25 million euros, already on the table. It is the offer that the Rossoneri have taken into account and it is the figure that Monaco (starting from higher requests) will most likely end up accepting. Even before his commitments with the national team, Fofana had declared his history in the Principality over. Once the European Championship is over, the table can reopen to define the agreement between the clubs and to structure the player’s new contract. Fofana, twenty-five years old and with a contract expiring in 2025, will gladly discuss a three-year deal with an option.
middle movements
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Milan have put Fofana at the top of their wish list and it can be said that the opposite is also true: the list of suitors was long, but for the player, Milan comes before the others. Even before Arsenal and the call of the Premier League. San Siro and Serie A win the long-distance duel: another detail that could facilitate the negotiations on the contract. The investment in Fofana and the space that will be reserved for him in the team requires evaluations on the rest of the department: Bennacer should consequently lose his place in the middle. Ismael plans to go and play in Arabia in a few years but the new balance at Milan could push him to anticipate the times. A rich offer from the Saudi League would also allow the club to recover the investment in Fofana. Milan would also save on the 4 million salary, or rather they could allocate the amount to the new arrival. Fofana alone can do the trick: in addition to Bennacer, Milan would give up Adli, for whom they are willing to listen to offers.
new midfield
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A completely new midfield would thus be born, completely revolutionized compared to the Scudetto season. All the interpreters of 2021-22 would be replaced. They have already said goodbye to Kessie, Tonali and Krunic, now it would be Bennacer’s turn. The team’s new midfield, built with the same ambitions of victory, would find its main interpreters in Fofana, Reijnders and Loftus-Cheek. A complete department: physical and insertions. The priority, as mentioned, is to protect the defense: last year’s was far too fragile. At the end of the season they had conceded 69 goals, an enormous number: 49 in the league, 8 in the Champions League, 9 in the Europa League and another 3 in the Coppa Italia.
next stop
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Fofana is the name on which the club and coach found themselves in agreement: in the direct clashes last season between Fofana and the new Rossoneri coach (formerly Lille) it ended with a victory each. Their paths may cross soon: Youssouf was purchased in 2017 by Strasbourg, with whom he made his debut the following season after a year in the second team. He has been at Monaco since 2020, with his first call-up to the French senior national team in 2022. In this European Championship two appearances lasting 10 minutes in total, between Austria and Poland and 90 on the bench against the Netherlands. Before his debut he said: “I spoke about my future with the Monaco managers, we have an agreement to take the next step.” Milan is there, one step ahead.
