Biggest Issues Facing AC Milan in Final Month of 2015 Transfer Window

On the back of a disappointing 2014-15 season, this summer has been a busy one for AC Milan. Sinisa Mihajlovic has been appointed coach, new additions have been made and, better yet, there were clear signs of improvement on the team’s tour of China.

Friendly dates with rivals Inter and Spanish giants Real Madrid wielded positive performances and reasonable results, as Milan won the former 1-0 and drew 0-0 in the latter before succumbing on penalties.

Milan enter the final month of this summer’s transfer window in much better shape than when they started, mainly thanks to the signings of Carlos Bacca, Luiz Adriano, Andrea Bertolacci and Jose Mauri but, ahead of their second pre-season tour, the club will be cognisant of crucial transfer activity still to be concluded.

The Rossoneri play Bayern Munich on Tuesday night at 7:45 p.m. GMT in the first of two games in the Audi Cup, with the match representing a final opportunity for Mihajlovic to assess his team before moving forward in the transfer market.

One area that clearly still needs to be addressed is central defence. Milan’s back line let them down frequently throughout last season and reinforcements have yet to be made.

The experienced yet slow Alex and the inexperienced Rodrigo Ely were the starting central-defensive partnership for Milan’s China tour. That simply must not be the case come the start of the new Serie A campaign if Milan are to entertain serious notions of finishing in the top three.

The club has been involved in protracted negotiations with Roma over their young defensive prospect Alessio Romagnoli, though little progress has been made on that deal in recent weeks.

According to Corriere dello Sport, via Football Italia, Romagnoli was keen to join Milan and agreed terms with the club, only for his transfer fee to prove a stumbling block.

With Roma asking for €30 million, Milan refused to budge on their initial €25 million offer with club vice-president Adriano Galliani telling Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sky Sports:

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Our offer for Romagnoli is unchangeable…(he) is an interesting player and if we can (sign him), we will satisfy our coach. Otherwise we will look at other alternatives.

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Mihajlovic coached Romagnoli at Sampdoria last season and is very keen on the player, though Milan’s hesitancy to meet Roma’s demands has opened the door to other potential bidders, such as Arsenal.

According to Talksport, “Arsene Wenger would like to add another centre back to his squad before the conclusion of the summer transfer window”, with Romagnoli a prime target.

If Milan refuse to re-open negotiations with Roma and strike a deal for Romagnoli, they must quickly identify and sign an adequate alternative so as not to ensure Mihajlovic enters his first season as Milan coach with the exact same defensive options as last coach Filippo Inzaghi.

Another long-running transfer saga that Milan must look to conclude regards iconic Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a player who scored 56 goals in 85 appearances for the club between 2010 and 2012.

The Rossoneri have already boosted their striking options with the additions of Colombian hitman Bacca from Sevilla and Brazilian Luiz Adriano from Shakhtar Donetsk, though both have yet to experience playing in Italy.

Mihajlovic used a 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-3 formation while at Sampdoria and looks set to continue using these systems with Milan, although he still lacks a proven reference point for the tip of his attack. As such it’s not surprising that he would love to see Ibrahimovic join, something he confirmed to the press, as per Football Italia:

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If Ibrahimovic came in, we’d be serious candidates to win the Scudetto. He’s the type of player who can swing the balance in our favour.

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Milan have not given up hope of bringing Ibrahimovic back despite the Swede’s assertions that he is content at Paris Saint-Germain.

Should they sign him, his height, technique and hold-up play could combine to tantalising effect with the pace and direct running of Bacca, adding to the club’s attacking threat.

Milan are already an improved force thanks to their activity in this summer’s transfer window thus far, though there is evidently work still to be done if they are to regain their status as one of Serie A’s top sides.

Moves for Romagnoli and Ibrahimovic have long been muted but it’s time Milan pressed on with both. Their arrivals could provide the requisite quality for a Scudetto challenge.