With Mike Maignan slated to miss more matches because of a calf injury, Milan reached out to Atalanta to ask for Marco Sportiello, but they found resistance. La Dea don’t want to part ways with their backup goalie, as Gian Piero Gasperini fully trusts him, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs (via Goal).
The shot-stopper is bound to join the Rossoneri on a free move in the summer. On the other hand, the Bergamaschi requested €7M to sell him in January, which is a non-starter for the defending Serie A champions. The Nerazzurri would have some options to eventually replace him, like recalling Pierluigi Gollini from Fiorentina or promoting third-stringer Francesco Rossi. But they haven’t budged so far.
Sportiello is keen on joining Milan for the opportunity to play in the short term and because his wages will be higher once he completes the switch. He currently makes around €600k, while he’ll earn over €1M in the future.
At this point, the Rossoneri might stand pat and lean on Ciprian Tatarusanu until their star recovers, as they have done so far. Alessio Cragno, who’s not starting for Monza and is looking for a new team, could be an alternative, L’Unione Sarda informs. He’d join them on loan from Cagliari.
Our Take on Milan, Sportiello, and Cragno
Serie A sides never fail to be petty. The price tag is clearly a provocation, but perhaps the deal could go through for a couple of million. The other option would be better technically, but it’s probably just his agent trying to get him out of a challenging situation that they didn’t foresee. He’s surely a starter, but Michele Di Gregorio has been great.
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