As good as our defenders have been this season, few can deny the fact younger reinforcements will be essential additions in the next few windows.
A right-sided centre back has been high on the list of transfer targets for some time now, with current option Fabian Schar only signing a one year extension, and Sven Botman in need of coverage.
Interestingly however, we’ve been freshly linked with a pair of defenders from the Serie A, both reportedly available at a reduced price.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, who earlier this week linked us with Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, we’re reportedly one of a number of Premier League clubs interested in AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw.
Calciomercato describes us as “monitoring the interest” of the 23-year-old, alongside Arsenal, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest.
Thiaw is valued between £22m and £26m, has starred for both AC Milan and Germany, and was even part of the Milan squad that won this season’s Supercoppa Italiana.
Speaking of the aforementioned Juventus, their stalwart Federico Gatti could also be a viable option in the summer if the Italian press is to be believed.
Gatti, who has so far amassed 40 appearances across all competitions this season for the titans from Turin, is in the midst of negotiations over extending his contract at the club.
However, speculation has arose over if he actually will extend, as Juventus don’t see any player as “untouchable” like they have previous defenders.
Sporting Director Paul Mitchell’s vision of developing a youthful defence with established European experience makes the signing of Thiaw In particular seem like a no brainer.
With Milan’s desired fee cut in half from £50m in the last year, and having already expressed a key interest in the player last summer, we could very well already have an advantage in negotiations over our Premier League rivals.
Gatti is a more interesting player to look at: a more established star for his club, but marginally more expensive and older than Thiaw, he may seem like the lesser of the two options here.
But AC Milan and Juventus are two clubs in desperate need to sell some stars in order to fuel their own transfer activity. Sandro Tonali is proving week by week to be a bargain, perhaps revisiting the Serie A is an excellent idea for the club to uncover more gems to add to our squad.
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