Milan missed out on a significant amount of prize money by finishing fourth in their Champions League group. On the other hand, they will have a less busy schedule and will be able to focus solely on the title race. The combination of the two elements will affect the plans of the club in January, Sky Sport reports.
The injury to Simon Kjaer opened a hole in the back. Milan will try to plug it, but not with a hasty solution. The Rossoneri were already mulling making an investment in the area next summer. Should ownership allow to move it up, they will sign somebody that could be a building block for the future.
In that regard, Milan are particularly keen on Lille’s Sven Botman, whom they chased last summer as well, and Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic. However, they are pricey targets, and it is uncertain whether their respective teams will let them go mid-season. Instead, Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen, who is on an expiring contract, and Malang Sarr would be primary options if they had just a small budget. The 25-year-old Danish center-back is high on the directors’ list, the publication suggests.
Since they will have fewer fixtures to play, Milan will likely forgo making an addition to the attack. They will lean heavily on Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Moreover, the injury crisis is probably temporary. Olivier Giroud, Ante Rebic, and Pietro Pellegri will be back in January. Instead, Rafael Leao could return a little earlier as his physical problem is less severe.