Scouting Milan Target and Montpellier Starlet Morgan Sanson

Per AC Milan News, the Rossoneri are monitoring 20-year-old midfielder Morgan Sanson, a breakout star for sixth-place Ligue 1 side Montpellier. 

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Milan have had scouts present during Montpellier's last two matches in order to watch the 20-year-old midfielder Morgan Sanson.

— AC Milan News (@Milanello) February 25, 2015 "

Since being promoted to Ligue 1 ahead of the 2009-10 season, Montpellier have quietly produced a number of quality footballers, most of whom parlayed their success with the French outfit into a big-money move abroad. 

Younes Belhanda, Remy Cabella, Olivier Giroud and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa have all shown well during the post-Montpellier phases of their careers, and Sanson looks to be the club's next standout product. 

The French youth international has been omnipresent in Rolland Courbis' lineups this term, starting 24 of the team's 26 league matches, per WhoScored.com.

Courbis has deployed the Le Mans youth product all over the pitch this season, though the majority of his appearances have come in a central position, either as the deepest or most advanced midfielder. 

While he won't often start in a wide position, Sanson's fluid movement allows him to create chances from all areas of the pitch, and his 1.5 completed crosses per game—the fourth-best mark in the French first division—show his ability to add width to the attack. 

On the season, Sanson has notched four goals and three assists, pacing the Montpellier offense with his composure and brilliant vision. 

He uses his body well, warding off markers with his close control, and his creative acumen makes him a threat if he can carve out a pocket of space. 

The 20-year-old sees the pitch incredibly well, always looking for an outlet up the field to catalyze the counterattack. 

A bit of a high-risk, high-reward passer, Sanson's pass completion rate of 80.7 percent is a testament to his adventurous approach, but you'll take the occasional turnover when he's capable of conjuring up defense-splitting passes. 

When he opts against passing it ahead to his teammates, Sanson will explode upfield, and he's one of France's best with a head of steam—his 2.7 dribbles per game are tied with fellow starlets Florian Thauvin and Nabil Fekir for third best in Ligue 1. 

Sanson also supports the attack well with his impressive off-ball movement, looking to make late runs into the box to dust off scoring chances. 

Not just an offensive player, Sanson is a gritty tackler, boasting a superb 3.2 successful challenges per match, another upper-echelon mark. 

Signed through the 2017-18 season, Transfermarkt.com places his transfer value at €4 million, though he may be the subject of a bidding war, as talkSPORT indicates Newcastle United and West Ham United are also interested in the young midfielder. 

Via Calciomercato (h/t Football Italia), Atalanta's Daniele Baselli, 22, has also found himself on Milan's transfer shortlist, so let's take a look to see how the two talented youngsters stack up. 

Player	Appearances	Goals	Assists	Shots/game	KP/game	DRB/game	Tackles/game	INT/game
Baselli	11 (6)	0	2	1.2	0.6	0.8	1.9	1.1
Sanson	24 (2)	4	3	1.3	1.2	2.7	3.2	1.5

KP = key passes; DRB = dribbles; INT = interceptions.

Baselli is the player more likely to be signed, but Adriano Galliani shouldn't look to add just one central midfielder.

Most of Milan's midfielders are on the wrong side of 30, and the sale of up-and-coming youngster Bryan Cristante to Benfica further increased the average age of the Rossoneri contingent. 

Nigel de Jong's days at the San Siro could be numbered, as Lewis Rudd of Metro is reporting that Louis van Gaal will look to bring his Dutch compatriot to Old Trafford. 

Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari don't have futures with the Rossoneri, and Marco van Ginkel's return to Chelsea further depletes the squad's midfield depth. 

Those four players have combined for 39 games started this season, and it's possible that none of them will be around next season. 

Sanson would help Milan get younger in midfield and would not only be one to watch in the future, as his form at Montpellier shows he could come in and impact this group right now. 

The Rossoneri need a total squad overhaul, and Sanson would represent a shrewd, cheaper signing for a talented youngster who could be a regular contributor for the next decade. 

Until Milan have the funding to be real players in the transfer market, the club's focus needs to be on adding young talent, and Sanson would be a huge step in the right direction. 

Statistics courtesy of WhoScored unless otherwise noted.