AC Milan spent a significant amount of money in the summer transfer window, but it’s claimed that they’re far from done in strengthening the squad.
Although they’ve won 10 of their 13 competitive games so far this season, Milan have fallen short in the big tests against Lazio, Sampdoria and Roma.
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In turn, there has been a sense of disappointment over their campaign thus far, with Vincenzo Montella under real pressure to ensure that they qualify for the Champions League given the money spent on his squad.
According to Goal.com, they could be preparing to splash out in January, with 16-year-old Genoa starlet Pietro Pellegri on their radar, although it’s added that it could take €30m+ to prise him away.
After making his breakthrough last season, Pellegri scored a brace against Lazio earlier this season to raise further interest. While he looks to have a bright future ahead of him, the fact that he’s only made a handful of appearances for the first team would suggest that a price-tag of €30m is well over the top at this stage.
Nevertheless, if Milan believe in his talent, then perhaps it should be seen as a wise long-term investment. Further, they can’t afford to waste time as Goal add that while they’ve made new contact with his agent, clubs from within Italy and around Europe are also monitoring him and so competition for signature is likely to be fierce.
Pellegri isn’t the only player to be linked with a January move, as Real Madrid youngster Dani Ceballos is also a target for the Rossoneri, as per Calciomercato.
The 21-year-old has managed a total of just 111 minutes of action so far this season as he struggles to hold down a regular spot in Zinedine Zidane’s plans.
Further, with one of the biggest criticisms of this Milan squad being a lack of an alternative to Franck Kessie, who looked very fatigued prior to the international break, another midfield reinforcement even on a temporary basis in a loan deal could be a key addition to the squad in the second half of the campaign.
Importantly though, Milan face Inter in the Derby della Madonnina this weekend and Montella and his players will have to respond with a big performance and positive result before new signings can even be considered.