Milan have long chased after Florian Thauvin, who is poised to leave Olympique Marseille at the end of his contract. However, the negotiation has not advanced in a while due to his lofty demands on wages. Recently, though, the player and his entourage have seemed willing to decrease them, Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
It is possible that the winger heard that the Rossoneri are pursuing other targets, primarily Josip Ilicic. While there is a mutual interest, he has asked for €4M per year, which is higher than what the Italian side would like to offer. The talks have re-started last week as his representatives opened to settling for slightly lower. Like most teams, Milan are looking to keep the payroll in check.
Both parties are waiting to see whether the Devil will indeed qualify for Champions League before the next steps. In November, director Paolo Maldini stated: “He is on an expiring contract, so he is surely interesting from the economic standpoint. He is a high-quality player. He is not the prototypical purchase we have made in the last two years because of his age. But it is ideal to have the right mix between youth and experience.”
Thauvin has tallied 8 goals and 9 assists in 39 appearances in the current campaign. His coach Jorge Sampaolo recently declared: “He is one of our most important players. I would like it a lot if he stayed with us. However, like for Arkadiusz Milik, some non-technical parameters go beyond the simple will of the manager.”