Milan Transfer Market: Full Steam Ahead for a January Signing

Things are in motion at AC Milan: owner Gerry Cardinale is ready to make moves in the transfer market this January with the aim of strengthening the defense at the disposal of head coach Ruben Amorim. The Rossoneri front office’s main target is Gonçalo Inacio of Sporting Lisbon. In this regard, a 40-million deal had already been set in motion over the summer, but nothing came of it because the Portuguese club was unable to find a suitable replacement for the player born in 2001.

It was Amorim himself who reportedly pushed hard to reopen negotiations ahead of January. The Portuguese coach considers his compatriot the ideal candidate to shore up a defense that has shown a few too many weaknesses during the first half of the season. Contacts with the player’s entourage, after all, have never truly ceased, and Inacio continues to occupy a prominent position in the evaluations of the management at Via Aldo Rossi.

On the outgoing front, Fikayo Tomori could be the one to make room—and free up resources. The Englishman, who has slipped to the bottom of Amorim’s pecking order after the deal with Fulham failed to close by the September 1 deadline, is considered on his way out: Milan would be willing to accept an offer of around 6 million euros to let the British center back leave as early as the upcoming winter transfer window.

Meanwhile, should the Inacio option prove unfeasible once again, the Rossoneri management is reportedly evaluating alternatives as well. One of these involves Kim Min-jae, a South Korean defender currently with Bayern Munich whose contract expires in 2028: the Bavarians, in the absence of any signs of a contract extension, could decide to put him on the market in the summer to avoid losing him on a free transfer, although a move in January seems unlikely at this point.