Milan will likely be forced to acquire a midfielder to replace Franck Kessié next summer, but they have other priorities at the moment. They are focusing on finding a new center-back to fill in for Simon Kjaer. They have a pair of talented players on their sights, but they have not acted past initial inquiries, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
The Rossoneri will test out Tiemoué Bakayoko in January. They paid €2M for the loan spell and have a €17M future obligation to buy him out from Chelsea. The Frenchman has struggled so far. Coach Stefano Pioli picked Rade Krunic over him yesterday in the first game sans Kessié and Ismael Bennacer. The 27-year-old midfielder had offered better performances in his first Milan spell and at Napoli. Should he turn it around, the management would not necessarily have to look for a top contributor at the position since Yacine Adli is coming.
The front office have earmarked Olympique Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara and Renato Sanches. The former is on an expiring contract and is poised to leave. The latter would be pricier, but Milan have a tight relationship with Lille, and they could manage strike a deal for the midfielder. However, they are both in high demand, in Italy and abroad. The Rossoneri are keeping tabs but have not started any negotiation.
The stalemate continues on the Kessié extension. Milan offered €6M per year, while the entourage of the midfielder asked for at least €8M. It would be a surprise if he stayed at this point.