What’s Milan Up-to This January ? €70m On The Cards For Balotelli And Strootman ?

So the much awaited transfer window is finally upon us. Top clubs across Europe are on the look out to strengthen their squad after assessing their mid-season performances. We will take a look at what’s in-store for Italian giants AC Milan this January.

AC Milan have been strongly linked with a move for Italian International and Ex- Inter striker Mario Balotelli for quite sometime now. With City boss Mancini running out of patience with his fellow country men, he is ready to cut loose the forward. The front page of ‘Il Corriere‘ last-week listed the star duo of Balotelli & Strootman as Milan’s top priority, pairing the two together as a meager €70m investment, which ironically is €70m more than the Rossoneri have spent in the past year. 

Well that’s quite an impossible Business that Milan could pull off. So what will Milan really do with the funds they’re about to pick up from Pato (Corinthians) & Robinho (Possibly to Santos)? 

First of all, is the attack really a priority? Milan clearly need better defenders, a top-class midfielder and at last a creative attacker which is always a rare breed. Never mind the ‘trequartista‘ position, which is one Milan should splurge on since they don’t have a real no 10 in their armory  Allegri has shown the world over the past month that he prefers Kevin Prince Boateng in an awkward False 9, “Messi” role. Assuming he stays with this lineup, the current strikers with Milan are: Boateng, El Shaarawy, Pazzini, Bojan, and Niang. So it’s better that AC Milan look to upgrade some of the other departments.

Talking with Radio Mars, AC Milan president, Silvio Berlusconi said:

“We sold [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva [in the summer] for monetary needs, but the others left for age reasons, Our goal is to return as a big team in three years’ time, to start a new cycle with [Stephan] El Shaarawy – who is an extraordinary player – and Mattia De Sciglio, who will become a champion. Niang is better than Balotelli.”

Which makes it clear that Milan are not on the lookout to buy any powerhouse of a player and instead try to build a team within their resources. 

Possibly the greatest need Milan have at the moment is at the back, where Allegri has continued with his revolving door of central defending pairs. He still hasn’t found his best duo, as he’s working with a slew of mediocre players there. What Milan really need is a noticeable upgrade like Angelo Ogbonna (valued at €15-€18m by Cairo) or even ex Milan Davide Astori, who can be grabbed for around €12-€15m. 

For the midfield, Kevin Strootman is the name we keep hearing about. The Dutch box to box midfield would slot in nicely alongside Montolivo & Nocerino. However, with English Club Manchester United looking to swoop the player, his value will only increase which Milan will surely not able to afford. Considering  the limited funds the Rossoneri have at their disposal, their main objective will be to strengthen their back-line.