AC Milan secured a 1-0 win over Genoa at the San Siro on Saturday night which in turn was a boost in their pursuit of a Europa League qualification spot.
Both city rivals Inter and Lazio were held over the weekend, and coupled with the Rossoneri’s victory, Vincenzo Montella’s side were able to close the gap.
Although they remain in seventh place in the Serie A table, just two points separate them and Inter, while Lazio are a further two points ahead in fourth.
Nevertheless, Calciomercato have revealed an interesting bit of research, as they’ve discovered the fact that the Milan team that beat Genoa on Saturday cost less than the fee it took Inter to sign Antonio Candreva from Lazio, with the line-up costing just over €22m.
Three players came through the youth ranks with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Mattia De Sciglio and Manuel Locatelli costing nothing, albeit the latter came on after just two minutes to replace Andrea Bertolacci so factoring that in makes a significant difference.
Elsewhere, Leonel Vangioni arrived on a free transfer last summer, Gabriel Paletta cost €2.5m while Cristian Zapata fetched a €6m fee.
In midfield, the match-winner Mati Fernandez is on loan after Milan paid a €500,000 fee, while Juraj Kucka arrived at the San Siro in a €300,000 deal.
Gianluca Lapadula was the most expensive player in the starting XI as he cost €9m from Pescara last summer, and he showed his quality with the delicate touch to set up Fernandez.
Meanwhile Gerard Deulofeu and Lucas Ocampos were deployed on the wings, with Milan spending €1m and €250,000 respectively to loan them.
In total, that’s just over €22m, less than what Candreva cost, Yet despite that ridiculous disparity in budget as Milan await further developments and hopeful completion of the Sino-Europe Sports takeover bid, there are just two points separating the two Milan giants as Montella’s excellent work as coach and the desire and quality of this tight-knit group continues to push the club on.
Follow Sumeet on Twitter @SP_Calcio for all the latest Milan talk and transfer news.