AC Milan are set to complete the signing of Marko Lazetic from Red Star Belgrade as the Rossoneri show faith in the youngster’s talent.
As per MilanNews, the 18-year-old has officially signed his contract to join Milan, undergone his medical and will secure a move worth €4m plus €1m in bonuses in the coming days, with an official announcement seemingly the final piece of the puzzle that remains outstanding.
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With Pietro Pellegri set to move on after a disappointing loan spell, as noted by MilanNews, there is a void to be filled in Stefano Pioli’s squad, and it’s Lazetic who is set to emerge as the solution that the club put their confidence in.
So, who is Marko Lazetic, and how promising of a signing is he for Milan?
Milan take gamble on Lazetic but big show of faith
The talented teenager came through the Red Star youth system, scoring six goals in 11 appearances at U19s level, while he bagged one goal in 17 outings with the first-team squad.
Standing at 1.92m, the centre-forward will hope to provide Pioli with a younger, fresher option up front with stalwarts Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud ahead in the pecking order, with Milan in need of a long-term solution in that department with that pair now aged 40 and 35 respectively.
Lazetic has an xG of 1.88 in 420 minutes of playing time in the Serbian league so far this season, has a 71.8% passing accuracy, a 71.4% dribble success rate along with 34.4% of his duels won.
A hard-working, physical striker, Lazetic uses his strength and work ethic to make himself a presence in the final third, and so it could be argued that Milan are following a similar blueprint in terms of what our more senior options currently provide us, and so will take him under their wing to try and help his development moving forward as we establish a clear playing identity.
Naturally, it’s a big step up to Serie A and challenging both in Italy and in Europe as Milan look to compete at the top level in the coming years, and so it remains to be seen if Lazetic is capable of providing an important contribution and proving that he is worthy of being part of the long-term vision for this squad.
The expectation is that the move will be made official relatively soon, as per the report above, and so Milan have invested money, time and faith in another young player, and while Pellegri’s move didn’t work out largely due to injury troubles and a lack of availability, it’s hoped that Lazetic can emerge as a much better-suited solution for the Rossoneri in the coming years.
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