The list of candidates to become the new Milan no.10 grows by the day. The club is canvassing the market to find the right player for the role but has not concretely moved for any option so far. The most recent names to emerge are James Rodriguez and Yusuf Yazici.
The Colombian midfielder would like to leave Everton due to the departure of Carlo Ancelotti. He came up in the recent talks with his agent Jorge Mendes. The fee would be reasonable, around €15M, but he earns €9M per year, considerably higher than any other player on the roster. Rodriguez would have better chances to join if Milan decided to cash in on Rafael Leao, SportMediaset reports.
Yazici flopped in the Euro like the entire Turkey squad, but he was one of their main factors behind Lille’s title. He notched 14 goals and 5 assists in 42 appearances in 2020/2021. Milan have a strong relationship with Lille given the previous deal involving Leao and Mike Maignan, Calciomercato.com informs. There is no shortage of competition for the talented attacker, though.
In other roles, the Rossoneri are nearing a new agreement with Brescia to keep Sandro Tonali. They previously turned down the €25M option to acquire him permanently. However, there is optimism the deal will get done anyway, multiple sources indicate. Bakayoko would like to return, but Chelsea are currently asking €15M for his sale, which is considered too high. Milan have other priorities at the moment, SportMediaset reports.