Milan will continue to count on Zlatan Ibrahimovic next season but plan to pair him up with a younger striker. The management are primarily working on three targets: Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic, Torino’s Andrea Belotti and PSV’s Donyell Malen, Sky Sport reports.
With the brace against Atalanta, Vlahovic has now bagged 15 goals in 29 Serie A matches. He is the second most prolific U-21 forward in Europe behind Erling Haaland. His contract with the Viola expires in 2023 and they intend to hold onto him. The Gigliati have put a €40M price tag on him, which might be too pricey for Milan. Stefano Pioli coached him when he was 18, fielding him 10 times.
Belotti has been on the Rossoneri‘s radar for several years, but Torino’s asking price has always been too high. The situation could drastically change this summer as Il Gallo will have just a year left on his deal. The negotiation to extend it has proven to be difficult and he could be put on the market for at least €30M. He has tallied 91 goals in the past 6 seasons.
Malen has bounced back from a major knee injury scoring 25 goals in 41 matches across all competitions this year. He is more mobile than the other two strikers and is managed by Mino Raiola, with whom there have already been some talks. He will likely a similar cost as Belotti in the next window. In any case, Milan are set to move on from Mario Mandzukic in such role.