Milan have reportedly established contact with Barcelona to propose a high-profile swap deal including Alessio Romagnoli and Philippe Coutinho. As per Spanish outlet Marca (via SempreMilan), the Rossoneri have approached the Catalan giants with the idea of swapping their underperforming stars as they look to replace Hakan Calhanoglu.
The Turkish star turned down all of Milan’s attempts to tie him down to a new contract to link up with bitter rivals Inter earlier. The 27-year-old’s departure will force the club’s hand in the upcoming transfer window.
Calhanoglu was one of Stefano Pioli’s key figures in Milan’s top-four charge in 2020/21, shouldering the creative burden all by himself. With the ex-Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder now out of the picture, Paolo Maldini is keen to acquire a household name to take the Turk’s place.
Milan have identified under-fire Barcelona playmaker Coutinho as the ideal replacement for Calhanoglu. They have already made contact with the Spanish team to understand the feasibility of a swap deal that would see Romagnoli head in the opposite direction.
The Rossoneri are eager to free the squad from Mino Raiola’s clients, and the captain could be on the move in the coming months. Meanwhile, Barcelona are in the market for a new centre-back to partner Gerard Pique next season and have already tracked Romagnoli in the past.
Milan are hopeful of snapping up Coutinho by offering the Italian defender in return, with Barca open to the prospect of offloading their flop in the summer. The Brazilian has failed to live up to his staggering £142million price tag since swapping Liverpool for Camp Nou in January 2018.
He could be on the verge of exiting La Liga in the coming months, with Milan waiting in the wings. However, this information should be taken with a grain of salt at least until further confirmation arrives.