Striker pursuit takes an interesting turn [Newsletter]

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Jul 10, 2024

AC Milan had been in talks with Joshua Zirkzee’s agent for many months, following the Dutchman with great interest since November, but ultimately fell at the finish line. Manchester United swooped in and got themselves an agreement, while the Rossoneri were forced to shift focus immediately. By the looks of it, there is one primary target for the role: Alvaro Morata.

Given his age of 31, as well as history with Juventus, it’s a name that doesn’t excite large parts of the Milan fanbase. Heavy investment was expected for the No.9 role and considering the Spaniard’s €13m release clause, this move could be the exact opposite and fans are right to feel confused. Will another striker arrive as well? Or will the money be invested elsewhere?

There is no doubt that several positions are in need of reinforcement, with defensive midfield being one, but at the same time you don’t want to opt for the cheap option up front. It’s a crucial position in so many ways and even though Morata scored 21 goals last season, there will inevitably be many doubts. Then again, the management has probably already thought of this.

As a former striker himself, Zlatan Ibrahimovic knows what it takes to play for Milan and one can only hope that he understands the gravity of the situation. It’s possible that a lineup of Morata, Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor could be enough for the 2024-25 season, but is that a risk the Rossoneri want to take? The upcoming campaign could make a huge difference in swaying the fans, which frankly is needed.

Paulo Fonseca could use all the help he can get as well, not because he’s a bad manager, but because the pressure from the fans is notable and results are needed. On the other hand, one can certainly understand why Milan decided to abandon the Zirkzee pursuit as even Man Utd described the commission as ‘sizeable’. When a Premier League club says that, you know it’s really high.

Some reports have also suggested that Milan are more keen on signing Morata, or another player in his age bracket, as the plan for Francesco Camarda is ambitious. With someone like Zirkzee, who likely would have been the striker for the next ten years, it would have been difficult for Camarda to break through. Now, however, there can be a very clear plan for his growth.

It's speculative, of course, as we also need to see how Camarda performs in Serie C before saying anything about his future in Serie A. He’s a talent like no other, though, so we wouldn’t be surprised if he makes it in style. With the Euros coming to an end on Sunday evening, there should be more concrete developments on the mercato very soon.

News Bulletin

➤ Milan officially announced the signings of three players who will join the newly formed Milan Futuro: Gabriele Minotti, Mbarick Fall and Mattia Sandri. Meanwhile, Francesco Camarda has been named in the Italy U19 European Championship squad along with five other Milan players.

➤ AC Milan have announced that Suzanne Bakker is the new coach of the women’s team and has signed a two-year contract with the club. She won the league with Ajax in 2022-23 and led them in their first-ever Champions League campaign last season, where they beat PSG and Bayern.

➤ Four of the players that Milan are looking at for the summer window are still at Euro 2024 and will be/have been in action in the semi-finals. Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana of France are two, while Memphis Depay and Alvaro Morata of the Netherlands and Spain are the others.

➤ If you haven't done already, we would recommend reading the press conferences that Paulo Fonseca and Zlatan Ibrahimovic did on day one of preseason on Monday. The new coach navigated some difficult questions well, while the Swede made promises regarding signings.

➤ We recapped how the first day of work under Fonseca went on Monday night, looking at his presser, his reaction to the support of the fans, the personal chats he had with two players and how the session was conducted itself.

➤ A couple of the more rogue transfer links from the past few days have seen Milan credited with interest in Yusuf Yazici- who Fonseca knows well from his time at Lille - plus Karim Adeyemi of Borussia Dortmund who could leave for €30m.