While Milan are actively engaged in a negotiation to extend the expiring contract of Hakan Calhanoglu, they have started to line up possible replacements and asked for information about Luis Alberto, but Lazio slapped a €50M price tag on their star midfielder, Calciomercato.com and Repubblica report.
The Rossoneri brass met with Calhanoglu’s agents yesterday and, while the talks were reportedly positive, the two sides have not come to terms and there is still a significant gap between the offer and the request. Director Paolo Maldini commented: “We are trying to reach an agreement, it is a delicate situation. The two parties are collaborating to reach a result that would satisfy everybody.”
Luis Alberto is instead under contract long-term with the Biancocelesti as his deal expires in 2025. However, he recently had a squabble with the management over some remarks about the new club’s plane that almost caused him to be frozen out had not coach Simone Inzaghi intervened to smooth things over.
Our view
The clock is ticking to strike a deal on the Calhanoglu renewal and a lot will hinge on the offers he receives from other clubs, as it looks like the recent meeting was mostly inconclusive. Alberto has not been great so far this season, but he would be an outstanding replacement. However, despite his issues with the club, it would take a huge offer to acquire him and it is hard to imagine it happening in January.