It promises to be a busy summer for Milan, who, after starting the transfer window with a whimper rather than a bang, are moving to the offense. As claimed by Sky Italia, Stefano Pioli’s men have launched negotiations with Udinese over Lazar Samardzic.
A shock decision to sell Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United early in the summer threatens to change the landscape of the Italians’ transfer window. Tonali’s move to St James’ Park was a textbook definition of a bad beat for Milan, considering the midfielder was widely considered the future captain.
Losing out on Marcus Thuram to Inter in disturbing fashion added insult to injury as the Frenchman ditched Milan at the 11th hour, having already struck a verbal agreement with the Rossoneri before pledging his future to the Nerazzurri. A pair of unsatisfying outcomes have left Pioli’s market plans in tatters.
As a result, Milan seem to be losing a compass. Fans are getting desperate, with the new Rossoneri executives still having nothing to show for it despite trying to settle supporters’ nerves. Samardzic’s potential arrival would unlikely serve that purpose, but it’s a start.
The 21-year-old, who joined Udinese from RB Leipzig in 2021, punched above his weight in 2022/23. After taking almost a year to get used to the new environment, the Serbia international excelled in Serie A last season. He was one of the revelations in the recently completed campaign, chipping in with five goals and four assists from 37 league appearances.
Samardzic’s glittering displays at the Dacia Arena could soon earn him a high-profile switch. Talks between Milan and Udinese are ongoing, with the Rossoneri pushing to close the deal as quickly as possible. But despite his burgeoning talent, the Serb alone won’t be enough to fill the gaping void in Pioli’s engine room.
With Tonali gone and Ismael Bennacer facing a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines, Milan must add at least one more high-quality midfielder to keep their squad competitive on multiple fronts. Even then, it’s hard to tell whether it would be sufficient.
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