Exclusive: Why AC Milan missed out on signing Allan Saint-Maximin
The rossoneri were desperate to sign a winger this month and opened up several tracks to get a winger in before the transfer window slammed shut. They tried for Yannick Carrasco and Gerard Deulofeu, but failed in both the approaches.
The third approach was for Saint-Maximin. Our transfers expert Fabrizio Romano understands that Leonardo had met with the agent of the player ten days before the closing of the transfer window, but the chances of him being allowed to leave in January seemed very minute.
While the player would have liked Milan, Leonardo had proposed an initial loan deal with the obligation to buy him on a permanent basis next summer. But Nice took a firm stance and rejected that approach.
The French club's executives met Patrick Vieira in a meeting and the club's stance was established about them only selling the player on a permanent basis in January, if Milan made an offer of 40 million euros.
This forced Milan to back away. But the deal can still happen in the summer.
For more transfer news and updates, click here