The Milan search for a new attacking midfielder continues, and Josip Ilicic is gaining steam as he is the easiest target to acquire. Gian Piero Gasperini revealed that the player wants to leave and that the club will let him go under the right circumstances.
The Atalanta coach weighed in after a recent friendly: “He asked to depart near the end of last season, and I respect his choice. There is still a month left in the window. We would like to satisfy him, but there have not been good offers for him yet. He is practicing well to be ready for his next team. He has had a good pre-season preparation and did not skip any training session.”
According to La Repubblica, Ilicic is in pole position to replace Hakan Calhanoglu. However, he would likely be a last-minute addition for a low fee. Moreover, Milan are enticed by the prospect of signing Isco, but the Spaniard, who is on his way out of Real Madrid, has a very high salary.
Among the other candidates for the job, James Rodriguez openly mentioned the Rossoneri as a possible destination. Milan considered orchestrating a swap with Rafael Leao, but the Portuguese forward does not want to join Everton, SportMediaset informs. In the meantime, Nikola Vlasic is pushing to bolt. CSKA Moscow’s CEO Roman Babyev told Sport 24: “He made it clear that he wants to play in a European competition next season. But the club must receive a decent bid for it to happen and we have not yet.”