AC Milan Lining Up January Bid for Swiss Starlet Granit Xhaka

According to Football Italia, AC Milan are mulling over a winter move for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka. 

Rossoneri manager Filippo Inzaghi has rotated a number of different players into his three-man midfield, but, save for Nigel de Jong and Giacomo Bonaventura, the unit has been largely underwhelming. 

De Jong has seen considerable time alongside jack of all trades but master of none Andrea Poli, while Riccardo Montolivo has reclaimed his starting spot after a lengthy injury layoff. 

Poli, 25 years old and the youngest of the bunch, is a nice player, but has been largely untested as his back-ups are the well-past-his-prime Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari, who really shouldn't be logging minutes for this Milan side. 

Additionally, the midfield corps is aging, featuring four players—Essien, De Jong, Montolivo and Suntari—at 30 years old or over. 

Here is where Xhaka comes in. The 22-year-old would immediately make the unit younger and provide direct competition to Poli. 

Granit Xhaka vs. Milan Midfielders: A Statistical Comparison
Player	Appearances	Goals	Assists	Tackles	Interceptions	Key Passes	Shots	Dribbles
Xhaka	14	1	1	1.9	3.3	0.6	1.6	0.6
De Jong	15	2	0	1.8	3.8	0.3	0.7	0.2
Montolivo	7 (1)	0	0	1.8	2.1	1.3	0.8	0.5
Poli	11 (8)	1	0	1.5	1.2	0.7	0.9	0.3

The report cites a fee in the range of €9 million, and should that outlay be sanctioned by the Rossoneri board, Xhaka would make an excellent signing. 

The Swiss international has played very well this term, partnering Christoph Kramer in manager Lucien Favre's two-man central midfield. 

A well-rounded footballer, Xhaka contributes heavily to both the offensive and defensive phases of the game. 

His offensive numbers this season don't jump off the page—a goal and an assist through 14 Bundesliga matches are rather pedestrian hauls—but he's got a thunderous left boot, with strikes like the one seen below in his locker. 

Not one to shirk his defensive duties, Xhaka is averaging a tremendous 3.3 interceptions per league match, via WhoScored.com. 

Field him alongside De Jong and the Dutchman's even better 3.8 interception average and the Rossoneri midfield would become a unit that constantly harasses the opposition into dispossession. 

Xhaka has a penchant for playing long passes, and while many don't eventuate in goals—he's only notched two assists in his three seasons with Gladbach—they serve well to stretch the defense. While a regista role may not be in his future, Xhaka's passing still represents an upgrade over Poli, whose distribution often lacks imagination.

What's more is that his all-action skill set will create more time on the ball for Montolivo, the resident midfield playmaker, to pick out killer passes. 

A threat in dead-ball situations, Xhaka would give the Rossoneri another left-footed set-piece practitioner to pair with Keisuke Honda. Put both players over the ball and the goalkeeper faces a nightmare proposition of contending with a Honda curler or a Xhaka corker. 

Another area Xhaka would reinforce is Milan's perpetually awful aerial defending. 

The Rossoneri are an absolute sieve when it comes to headed goals, and Xhaka, who is averaging a very solid 3.1 aerial duels won per game, would give Inzaghi a much-needed, competent header of the ball. 

Per Transfermarkt.com, the youngster's contract is set to expire at the end of the 2015-16 season and Milan would do well to poach the player before he signs a new deal that would see his transfer value skyrocket, diminishing his chances of leaving the Bundesliga outfit. 

Given Milan's penurious transfer policy of late, signing Xhaka is quite unlikely, but the Swiss midfielder would bring an injection of youth and energy that Inzaghi's floundering side could well use.