Mercato Rossonero: Milan Transfer Activity Inside Out

I'm not the biggest fan of Witsel in truth. My point was more about the potential downsides of Ibra's return. In saying that, I would still take a high calibre attacking mid ahead of Ibra if we could get one. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we're going to get one.

The same points would sadly relate to any of our remaining midfield targets.

I certainly agree with you about the points you raised concerning certain downsides to his return. If you have Ibra, you have to build around him. Given the question marks over our ability to create and break down sides on a consistent basis though I think it's worth it.

In the aftermath of Ferrero claiming that he wants 25 million for Soriano, it's being reported that a deal has been agreed at 13 million euros.

Honestly I'd have rather bought Baselli at the beginning of the window for a fraction of the cost of either Bertolacci and Soriano as a box to box option and invested in a top class midfielder to go alongside. At least we won't be outrun by sides any longer.

dostoevsky wrote:In the aftermath of Ferrero claiming that he wants 25 million for Soriano, it's being reported that a deal has been agreed at 13 million euros.

Honestly I'd have rather bought Baselli at the beginning of the window for a fraction of the cost of either Bertolacci and Soriano as a box to box option and invested in a top class midfielder to go alongside. At least we won't be outrun by sides any longer.

Baselli is actually pretty garbage. He hasn't shown anything to suggest that he's anything more than an average Provinciale player. Makes sense that the hype around him has mostly died down.

Soriano is a MUCH better option. He's approved by Miha. He's creative, has decent defensive capabilities, he's relatively young, and he's becoming a national team regular. For 13-15m he's a really good buy. He wouldn't bring our midfield to a whole new level, but he would be a valuable addition.

Also, who says that getting Soriano rules out another MF acquisition? Berlusconi, Galliani, and most sources have indicated that we're getting Soriano + another MF. Honestly though, with all the improvements we made this summer, I would actually be pretty satisfied if we just got Soriano and called it a day.

Witsel is actually quite overrated. He's still solid and would add strength and technique to our midfield. However, he has drastically regressed since his move to the Russian League. I would much prefer someone like Moutinho, who we were linked to today.

As for Ibra,

Pros:
- Top 3 position guaranteed
- Scudetto an actual possibility
- Reaffirms our ambition to return to greatness
- Would bring star power and drastically increase Milan's image and appeal
- Adds a true leader to the squad (no more of that blue-eyed nutsack being the face of our squad)
- Best short-term star we can get

Cons:
- Will only be useful for a year or two
- Expensive
- May lead to reduced playing time for our young players (Niang & Suso)

IMO, the pros far outweigh the cons. Regardless, I doubt we'll get him and with Bacca and Adriano leading the line, we honestly don't NEED him.

Balotelli to return to milan. I wouldn't mind him as a back up to our attacking duo. If Ibra comes I would definitely welcome him.

Cookie Monster wrote:Baselli is actually pretty garbage. He hasn't shown anything to suggest that he's anything more than an average Provinciale player. Makes sense that the hype around him has mostly died down.

Soriano is a MUCH better option. He's approved by Miha. He's creative, has decent defensive capabilities, he's relatively young, and he's becoming a national team regular. For 13-15m he's a really good buy. He wouldn't bring our midfield to a whole new level, but he would be a valuable addition.

Also, who says that getting Soriano rules out another MF acquisition? Berlusconi, Galliani, and most sources have indicated that we're getting Soriano + another MF. Honestly though, with all the improvements we made this summer, I would actually be pretty satisfied if we just got Soriano and called it a day.

I agree with you that Baselli is not currently on the same level as Soriano and Bertolacci however they do have very similar skill sets. Baselli remains physically immature and needs to grow defensively but the way he drives with the ball, makes good runs into the box and plays off his teammates is reminiscent of the other two. My point was not that I would prefer Baselli over the other two but that I'd rather see such significant funds invested in a different type of midfielder and thus would have been satisfied with going for the cheaper alternative for a box to box. The point being that, yes, I do believe Soriano's arrival would rule out another midfield acquisition. I hope I'm wrong but the management has spoken of our need to first offload a midfielder first before anyone else comes in. Remember that we can only register 25 players over the age of 21 for the upcoming season under the new league regulations which means we've no room to manoeuvre unless there are late departures.

I'm not quite as optimistic as you are about Soriano but I certainly agree he's a well rounded, decent midfielder. I just question whether he's a priority.

It seems that Balotelli is indeed set to return.

The positives? We could get a player we sold for 20 million euros back for free, with Liverpool continuing to pay some of his wages to boot. It's essentially worth it just for that.

If we took Mario back right now, we risk less than we did when we initially bought him. Should he fail, we've capable alternatives up front in Bacca, Adriano and even Menez. Our squad will not be compromised and we go forth as we would have otherwise without him.

Our decision to push forward with a two striker system also suits Balotelli's return. Despite his physique, Balotelli doesn't like to play as a reference point. He certainly has fulfilled the role of a 9 before but he's a temperamental player who needs to be fired up and in the mood to do so. What he likes to do is roam off another striker who occupies the central defenders. We saw how he enjoyed his partnership with Pazzini in his previous stint at Milan and with Osvaldo in the national side. Playing alongside either Bacca or Adriano, Mario would have the freedom to drop into midfield, to drift to the wings and play his natural game, whilst also being compatible with any of our other forward options that we might throw on.

There are, as always with Balotelli, plenty of potential negatives.

His return would surely rule out the possibility of Ibrahimovic returning, which is the ideal situation. If Zlatan is not to return though and we're no creative midfielder lined up, Balo's not the worst back up plan.

On the pitch, he can be wonderful or infuriating. He tries too often to milk freekicks, he gets upset too easily with officials, he is irregular in defence, he picks up far too many cautions and when he's not causing trouble on the pitch he's causing it in the papers.

On top of this, even if Liverpool cover some of his wages, he's still a very expensive player to accommodate, especially for someone who represents a risk.

If given the power to choose an alternative, I would. My suspicion however is that, if we're turning out attention to Mario, it means that there is no hope of Zlatan returning and with no 10s of note being suggested as potential targets, it's likely Balotelli or another equally left field loan deal. In which case, how can you say no to getting your own player back for free?

Agazzi is set to be loaned to Middlesborough with an option to buy, having never played an official game for the club.

Can't believe we're going in for Balo (as much as i love him), the depth up front is not that pressing, just keep Matri and go ahead with Menez ffs. We desperately need someone who is able feed Bacca/Luiz, someone like Maher or Quintero. I would've exempted that if we got Ibra, but it seems like we won't. We also need someone who is able to hold on to the ball in midfield and is a valve to relieve pressure, Monty is the only one we have and he's injured/out of form. Soriano is just more of the same, another Poli/Bertolacci.

Honestly, got a bleak outlook going ahead right now, can't see us finish in the top 5.

It's been reported that a free loan deal for Balotelli with a non-mandatory buy out clause has been agreed but an agreement over how his wages will be split between the clubs has not yet been reached. Balotelli earns 6 million euros a year under his current contract but might reduce his wages to lessen the burden on Milan.

Meanwhile, Galliani has stated that a midfielder must leave if Soriano arrives. Witsel's agent is reported to have said that his client will not come to Milan if Soriano is bought and vice versa.

El Shaarawy wrote:Can't believe we're going in for Balo (as much as i love him), the depth up front is not that pressing, just keep Matri and go ahead with Menez ffs. We desperately need someone who is able feed Bacca/Luiz, someone like Maher or Quintero. I would've exempted that if we got Ibra, but it seems like we won't. We also need someone who is able to hold on to the ball in midfield and is a valve to relieve pressure, Monty is the only one we have and he's injured/out of form. Soriano is just more of the same, another Poli/Bertolacci.

Honestly, got a bleak outlook going ahead right now, can't see us finish in the top 5.

When Bologna's deal for Quintero fell through I was rather hoping we'd jump on the opportunity but I think it's clear our management is not targeting a player of that ilk.

Whilst a forward was by no means a priority, we did need a player in attack who could create opportunities for themselves and others. Balotelli is not the ideal link up player but he can fulfil such a role to a degree and having never wanted him to depart, part of me is very glad to see him return. He's undoubtedly lost his way since being unfairly made the scapegoat for Italy's world cup exit but he succeeded at Milan once before and he hopefully can refocus now that he's coming home.

I understand, but i really think we need someone who's main assets are creativity and creating chances, especially for a 4-3-1-2. Balo, has the ability to do both but not to extreme measures imo. I don't mind him coming, in fact i'd love if he can make something of himself again here

Just imagine him scoring the winner in the derby and kissing the badge in front of Mancini, who then attempts to engage Mario in fisticuffs.

We definitely lack a dominant creative figure however. It's not necessarily a crippling factor though. When Conte's Juve were starting out with a fairly drab forward line they had players who contributed a lot to the attack from midfield and also Vucinic who was extremely underrated in his ability to link play in the final third. We might well aspire to some sort of parity with that side given time to grow as a team.

inb4 Mancini calls Balo and convinces him to move to Inter

Despite this thread being quiet, there's been a lot of rumours rise and fall in the past few days, largely concerning our midfield. After it was reported that Berlusconi had blocked any further interest in Soriano, we were linked to Moutinho and Illarramendi, both moves which have predictably fallen through.

Kicker reported that we have expressed an interest in Højbjerg but I would only accept a deal that excluded any option to make the transfer permanent if we had exhausted all other alternatives.

Paletta meanwhile has reportedly accepted a loan deal to Atalanta but it is uncertain whether an option to buy has been included.

GDM: West Ham in pole position to sign Matri http://don.pesgaming.com/images/smilies/banderas.png

Also, apparently we're back in for Soriano

Soriano-Milan is still on: in the coming days new contacts with Sampdoria. Moutinho is the alternative. [Sky]

Moutinho alternative

Why is it that only Milan seem to have "alternative" transfer targets that are more expensive than the first choice?

Moutinho is a pipe dream, nothing more.

Pedulla: More than Soriano, Kucka is also being considered

It wouldn't be a transfer window without a few Kucka links

My mistake, the translation is:

Alfredo Pedulla claims #Milan informed Sampdoria that they are no longer interested in #Soriano, and therefore signed #Kucka.

Wait, what? I keep scrolling down on twitter and this is actually happening?

#SKY: #Kucka to @acmilan is a done deal. Agreement reached at €3M + €1M in bonus.

Only we could sign Kucka the season after he lost his place in the starting XI.

If we buy a midfielder it should be someone who clearly adds something to our best side, this just reshuffles our bench.

@PDAcquaviva 2m2 minutes ago
Bee obviously slipped Galliani 3m and said "there's more where that came from. Go buy yourself something nice."

How the years pass, I only just realised Kucka is already 28.

So not likely to get any better, either.

Can't wait to loan him to Chievo in two years.

At least we won't be linked to him anymore

That signature change was quick.