AC Milan Transfer Talk: Why Are Milan Considering the Sale of Thiago Silva?

What is AC Milan doing? What purpose is there to selling Thiago Silva?

The biggest story outside of Euro 2012 in the world of football over the past couple days has been the talks between Paris Saint-Germain and Milan regarding the 27-year-old Brazilian, who is considered the best centre-back in world football.

According to reports from Goal.com, the Parisians are ready to break the transfer fee record for a defender, a record that has stood since Rio Ferdinand was sold from Leeds United to Manchester United 10 years ago.

Silva has been with Milan since joining from Fluminense in 2009. He was the replacement to Thiago Silva and performed better than anyone could have expected and has been viewed as the captain-in-waiting at the club.

Over the past couple seasons, he has left little doubt about his ability and has proven to be the world's top centre-back and internationally he has earned the title of captain for the Brazilian national team.

His performance makes him a hot item for many clubs, with Barcelona until recently the most persistent. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea are among the others interested. It was reported earlier this summer that Milan had rejected an offer of about 40 million euros from an unidentified team.

It is believed that Paolo Maldini will be taking over as a defensive coach for PSG to serve former Milan teammates Carlo Ancelotti, the PSG manager, and Leonardo, PSG's sporting director, and that he wants Silva to join in on the project in France.

There is speculation as well that PSG are hoping to introduce Silva and Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is reportedly (via ESPN) all set to join the club.

Milan are still in talks with PSG but the signs seem to point to Silva being on his way to France. The question raised by this transfer is what is AC Milan's reason for giving in?

Fans and players already expect the worst and the players are taking the news very hard.

Antonio Cassano has been the most outspoken about the situation. After hearing the news, Cassano spoke at Italy's camp for the European Championship, saying that he will decide whether to leave Milan or not after the tournament.

Kevin-Prince Boateng is hoping the talks die before a deal is done. He went on Twitter this morning and let his feelings be known.

Boateng is expected to move into the center midfield this season, which may actually be a reason for the Silva as, as Milan could get some money to pursue long-time Milan target Paulo Henrqiue Ganso, who remains a member of Santos FC in Brazil.

Milan have not shown any intention of bringing in Ganso since a statement from the club in January saying that there were no negotiations for the midfielder.

Besides trying to build funds for a big transfer, there is no other reason for Milan to have done this, but will they actually do something?

In 2009, the club sold Kaka for 68.5 million euros. Milan did nothing with that money for over a year until they bought Robinho and then didn't spend more until the purchases of Boateng, Cassano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2011.

While those moves worked out, how could Milan possibly complete a move that strengthens the club after selling the top centre-back in the world?

Milan would have three centre-backs to cope with for the moment: Philippe Mexes, Mario Yepes and Daniele Bonera. They are linked to the likes of Dede and Francesco Acerbi, but can they still have success in the back with those replacements for Silva and Alessandro Nesta?

Milan is betraying the trust of their players and fans if they sell Silva. They promised that the club would compete for titles in both Italy and Europe, but to do so, you need defense, not just a high-profile attack.

Making matters worse, the sale of Silva could make players like Cassano, Ibrahimovic and others want to leave the club.

This is a trying time for AC Milan.

Ideally, the club should keep Thiago Silva. If they don't, they need to show the fans and players that they are serious about building with the money they get from the move. Otherwise, things could get ugly for the next couple years.