AC Milan will reportedly bid €60m for Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as they look to address a key requirement in the side.
The Rossoneri have already signed eight players this summer to significantly bolster Vincenzo Montella’s squad, but it appears as though the work is far from over.
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Despite signing Andre Silva, it has been widely speculated that Milan are still looking for another striker to potentially play in a front two, and according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, it’s becoming more and more likely that the top target is Aubameyang.
The report claims that the Italian giants will make a bid of around €60m while offering a five-year contract worth €7.5m-a-season. Tianjin Quanjian have also been linked with a swoop for the 28-year-old, but with the Chinese Super League transfer window set to close at the end of the week, it looks unlikely they’ll make their move, especially after signing Anthony Modeste.
Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic remains the alternative in the event that Milan fail to land Aubameyang, but the Gabon international and former Milan starlet is now undoubtedly the priority.
It’s easy to see why based on his statistics last season alone, as Aubameyang scored 40 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions, with 31 coming in 32 Bundesliga outings.
Adding a prolific goalscorer would be a huge signing for Milan, although there are still question marks over the midfield with a need for a deep-lying playmaker to string everything together.
That doesn’t seem to be the priority right now though, as Sky Sport Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio has noted that Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci has emerged as a shock target.
It’s claimed that Milan have spoken with his agent, Alessandro Lucci, and while there has been no direct contact with Juve as of yet, Lucci has confirmed that they’re working on a sale and so with the player wanting to leave, it remains to be seen if the Rossoneri submit a bid for him.
The news will likely alert several other top clubs too as Bonucci is undoubtedly one of, if not the best, central defenders in Europe, while it’s added in the report that Alessio Romagnoli would not be used in a player-exchange deal, much to the relief of Milan supporters.