Another defender has been linked to Milan as their hunt continues. The Rossoneri are said to be among the teams eyeing Porto’s Mbemba. On top of that, they are furthering the talks for Sven Botman and Eric Bailly.
According to the Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Milan and Betis Sevilla have laid their eyes on the Dragoes defender. He is a linchpin of their formation and has racked up 24 appearances across all competitions this season. He joined from Newcastle in 2018 for a €4.6M fee. The 27-year-old has accumulated 117 appearances with his current club.
The Rossoneri are significantly keener on other options, though. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Botman is their number one priority by far. They are considering acquiring him in January and letting him finish the season at Lille, if that is the main hurdle. The negotiation with Manchester United is also progressing, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports. The Red Devils have warmed up to the possibility of a loan spell. Milan would like to insert a reasonable option to buy to eventually buy out the Ivorian defender.
Stefano Pioli will welcome back Simone Romagnoli after a bout with COVID-19 in the Juventus clash. He will pair up with either Matteo Gabbia or Pierre Kalulu. Fikayo Tomori is trying to speed his rehab to be available for the Derby in a couple of weeks. He just had surgery to remove a torn meniscus. The injury generally takes a month to heal, but he wants to be present for the pivotal tilt.