Report: AC Milan Target January Transfer for Liverpool's Fabinho; Loan Rumoured

AC Milan are reportedly hoping to offer Liverpool midfielder Fabinho a January route out of Anfield following his slow start to life in England, having joined from AS Monaco in the summer for a reported £39 million.

Fabinho is only just beginning to get minutes under manager Jurgen Klopp and has started Liverpool's last three Premier League games, but Corriere dello Sport (h/t TalkSport) reported Milan are ready to pounce with an offer.

It's mentioned the Rossoneri's best chance of recruiting Fabinho may be to sign him on loan with a view to a permanent deal, though any winter move seems highly unlikely after Klopp finally started to integrate the Brazilian. 

The 25-year-old joined a squad replete with top talent and led by a manager concerned with the most minute tactical details. The Brazilian told The Times' Jonathan Northcroft why he understood why it's taken him slightly longer to adapt since leaving Ligue 1 over the summer (h/t Anfield HQ):

Naby Keita has also experienced a slower-than-expected start at Anfield, which suggests there are no underlying issues in Fabinho's case and that Klopp is just taking more time with certain newcomers.

The anchoring midfielder—who can also play at right-back—acknowledged earlier this month that the transition was ongoing, per Sky Sports' Rory O'Callaghan.

He said: "I'm not totally settled just yet. I'm still adapting to here, but I believe that I'm now used to the football style, especially when it comes to the intensity of the game, which is really different from the league that I came from."

The Rossoneri already have one Premier League middle man among their ranks, and Serie A writer David Amoyal recently vouched for Chelsea loanee Tiemoue Bakayoko after he took time to hit form in Italy:

It seems improbable Milan would sign another who plays in a very similar position so soon, and Liverpool may have no interest in selling a player who has four-and-a-half years left on his contract.

Fabinho made his full Liverpool debut in a 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea on Sept. 26, after which he then sat out another month on the sidelines. He returned for his second start one month later in the 4-0 UEFA Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade, via BT Sport:

Milan are fifth in Serie A and 13 points off the summit. Fabinho is finally making headway in a Liverpool side that's second in the Premier League and challenging for honours both foreign and domestic.

All that considered, a January transfer out of Anfield so soon after arriving looks like a tall order.