1 Player AC Milan Should Be Looking at for 2016 January Transfer Window

When the transfer window closes, many people tend to breathe a sigh of relief. The rumors and craziness die down, and we can return our focus to the games on the field.

For a few days at least.

Then all eyes turn toward who might be moving in January. For teams such as AC Milan, who are already showing some of the cracks that weren't papered over by their activity in the summer, talk has quickly moved to what moves they may make during the winter transfer window to get better.

In Milan's case, the move they need to make is a rehash of one of several high-profile misses they had this summer: Axel Witsel.

Witsel was one of the more protracted transfer sagas of the window. Unlike the Rossoneri's other big failures of the window, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Jackson Martinez, Witsel stayed at his club, Zenit Saint Petersburg, rather than going elsewhere—which means he's still potentially available in January.

Zenit have been notorious in recent years for placing huge price tags on their players and refusing to budge from that number. For Witsel, the number they were quoting was pretty ridiculous: €100 million. That, at least, is what Zenit sporting director Maxim Mitrofanov told Championat (h/t Football Italia) is the Belgian's release clause after the window closed.

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That's an astronomical sum of money. Of course, they signed him for a pretty ridiculous sum too, paying Benfica €40 million for him in 2012. He was a part of a massive spending spree that also brought Hulk to the team.

That spree was intended to make Zenit a true contender in the Champions League. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened. Zenit haven't made it any past the round of 16 in the Champions League and have in some cases been relegated to the Europa League in the past few seasons. It took them three years to win the Russian Premier League.

Ambitious though it was, Zenit's project failed, and players such as Witsel are starting to come to terms with this. Now they want out.

Witsel said as much after the window ended. In an interview with the Daily Mirror (h/t Football Italia) the day after the transfer window closed, he said it was a "pity" he did not move and that he "hoped to make a transfer."

Witsel was of interest to several teams, including Tottenham Hotspur. But it was Juventus and Milan that had the strongest links to the midfielder.

Between the two, reports from Milan News (via Football Italia) and Tutto Mercato Web (also via Football Italia) stated Witsel had made up his mind that he wanted the Rossoneri. But try as they might, Milan simply couldn't reach an agreement with Zenit before finally pulling out of negotiations.

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That's a real shame, because Milan could certainly use him.

The midfield has thus far proven to be their Achilles heel. It's wildly unbalanced. Nigel de Jong has been pressed into a regista role that he isn't suited for. Giacomo Bonaventura is bouncing between a box-to-box role and the trequartista position. Neither Keisuke Honda nor Suso has made the attacking-midfield spot his own either. Riccardo Montolivo hasn't even earned playing time yet, and Juraj Kucka is so new he's still a mystery.

The biggest hole of all has been Andrea Bertolacci.

Signed as a backup plan to Kondogbia, Bertolacci has been nothing short of a disaster so far this season. He has repeatedly been mugged of possession in his own half and generally been more of a hindrance than an asset.

There's time for Bertolacci to turn his season around, but Milan needs serious help in midfield. Witsel represents both a major upgrade and a building block upon which Milan can build.

According to Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia), Milan hasn't given up hope quite yet. The paper reported that once Bee Taechaubol's investment in the team is secured, they will make another run at the Belgian.

Zenit might not be in a particularly strong negotiating position come January. The start to their league season has been rocky. Should they fail to make it past the Champions League group stage, they may find themselves in a spot in which they wouldn't be able to turn town a substantial offer—especially if the player starts to agitate for a move.

Milan is in serious need of midfield upgrades. Witsel has clear interest in going to Milan, and Zenit may want to offload him rather than deal with a discontented player—and may have to in order to keep the balance sheet in order. Depending on Zenit's situation, the Rossoneri need to keep their eyes firmly on the Belgian as January comes around.