AC Milan face a crucial weekend as they hope to secure a place in the Champions League next season heading into the final game of the current campaign.
The Rossoneri need to secure a win over SPAL, while hoping that either Inter or Atalanta slip up against Empoli or Sassuolo respectively to give them the opportunity to leapfrog them into the top four in Serie A.
Gennaro Gattuso’s side have rediscovered their winning form in recent weeks having won three in a row, but their slump in form prior to that could yet prove costly if results don’t go their way.
Nevertheless, speculation has been rife this week about matters off the pitch, with Leonardo expected to depart at the end of the season despite doing a positive job since returning to the club last summer.
Gazidis transfer strategy
It remains to be seen if that’s a change made by the club’s hierarchy, but MilanNews.it note, via the paper edition of Corriere della Sera, that CEO Ivan Gazidis intends on taking a specific direction in the transfer market moving forward.
It’s claimed that he will ensure whoever is sporting director beyond this summer is looking for top talents under the age of 23, with a view of having a big re-sell value once they have proven their quality.
Further, it’s suggested that Milan could work closely with agent Jorge Mendes, while rumoured incoming sporting director Luis Campos has worked with him over the years and they could form a key partnership.
It’s perhaps a worrying suggestion from a Milan fan perspective, as while owners Elliott’s agenda is relatively clear in that they want to turn the club into a competitive outfit to maximise their own profit when they choose to sell, this could be interpreted as a concerning step in terms of not holding onto top players.
It would suggest that Milan will look to sign young players with a keen eye on how much they could be sold for in the future, and so there could be some concern over whether or not such an approach will help get the club back to where they want to be.
Flamengo starlet on Milan radar
Nevertheless, that could still lead to some exciting talents joining the club moving forward, with Goal Italy reporting, via Globoesporte, that Milan are interested in Flamengo starlet Reinier.
The 17-year-old trequartista has made quite the impression for the Brazilian side despite having yet to make his debut for the senior team, and Milan will surely be fully aware of the talent at the club having plucked Lucas Paqueta from them in January.
It won’t be cheap though, as the report adds that Reinier has a €70m release clause, but given his inexperience and having not yet proven his quality at the highest level, the Rossoneri will surely look to pay much less.
Nevertheless, with Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City all linked too, they will likely face significant competition.
