Milan continues negotiations over Fofana, finds alternative

Milan and Monaco remain quite far away in terms of Youssouf Fofana’s valuation, but the Serie A club will continue to negotiate, even if they are starting to consider fallback options. They have set their sights on Lazar Samardzic, who is not really an alternative because he has different characteristics. They have also put Richard Rios on the shortlist, who is more similar to him, informs Gianluca Di Marzio.

The Rossoneri like the Frenchman, but they don’t want to spend too much money because his contract expires in 2025. They have the player’s will in their pocket. He has not been open to an extension or other destinations so far.

Milan have offered €15 million, including extras for Fofana, while Monaco are demanding much more. Nottingham Forest proposed €30 million, but the midfielder was not so keen on that, AllSports informs (via Calcioblog).

The Rossoneri have Rios in their sights if they can’t break the deadlock. He has spent the last two seasons with Palmeiras, where he has made 82 appearances and scored 5 goals and 2 assists. He shines mainly in defence. The 24-year-old has made 13 appearances for Colombia. Since he plays outside the EU, they will have to choose between their targets, as Italian teams can only sign two each summer.

Our opinion about Milan, Fofana and Rios

It wouldn’t be the first time they backed out when a deal got too expensive, but they have more leverage and that’s understandable in this situation than in the case of Joshua Zirkzee. However, the threat of another big team striking is always in the air.