AC Milan are reportedly prioritising Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana as one of our top transfer targets this summer to strengthen the squad.
The Rossoneri struggled without a dominant and consistent presence in front of the defence this past season, as we conceded 49 goals in Serie A, giving us the worst defensive record of the top 11 teams in the standings.
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While other factors contributed to that too, it’s still an obvious area in need of improvement as we must have a better balance in the side and defensive solidity, and so signing a defensive midfielder would undoubtedly help with that.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan have set their sights on Fofana to address that particular issue and strengthen our midfield options this summer, as he’s expected to leave Monaco.
It’s added that with his contract set to expire in a year’s time, he’ll likely cost around €20m-€25m, and so it will be interesting to see if Milan are able to land his signature, as we’ll likely face plenty of competition.
Fofana, 25, made 32 appearances across all competitions last season, scoring four goals and providing four assists to go with his defensive duties, as he played an influential role in helping Monaco finish the Ligue 1 campaign in second place.
However, his time at the Monegasque club could be coming to an end based on the speculation above, and time will tell if it’s Milan who convince him to spend the next chapter of his career with us by presenting him with the best proposal.
With Ismael Bennacer limited to 25 appearances this past season due to injury and fitness issues, coupled with the lack of alternative options to give us defensive presence and protection in that part of the pitch, it was a struggle for Milan to find the necessary balance in our performances to be a consistently good side.
Yacine Adli, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders all add their own respective strengths and attributes, but they share many of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities too, and so whether it’s Fofana or a player with a similar profile, it’s undoubtedly a position and area in which we must reinforce in this transfer window.