Milan have been linked to Luis Muriel as Atalanta are on the verge of purchasing Jeremie Boga. But the Bergamaschi do not see the prospective newcomer as a replacement for the Colombian striker. Moreover, his price tag remains sky-high, and the Rossoneri have other priorities, Fabrizio Romano reports.
Muriel had to deal with a thigh injury to open the season and has not been as prolific as in the past. He is rumored to be unhappy with his lack of minutes. But La Dea still rate him. He will have an opportunity to feature regularly in January. His main competitor Duvan Zapata suffered a thigh strain in the Genoa game and will probably skip the first two matches of 2022. Plus, Boga will not be available for a few fixtures due to the African Cup of Nations. The Orobici could consider a sale at the end of the month at best.
The Rossoneri could add a striker in January only for cheap. It is more likely that they will stand pat. Atalanta have slapped a €30/40M price tag on Muriel, which is too high for Milan and other Serie A suitors. In addition, Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara generally prefer to invest in younger players. For instance, they are tracking Beto and Lorenzo Lucca for the future, Corriere dello Sport informs. Udinese and Pisa do not want to sell before the end of the season.
Instead of offloading Muriel, Atalanta are seeking a new home for Aleksey Miranchuk. Roberto Piccoli is on his way out but on loan.