"We made investments in January like Piatek and Paquetà, young players that will be the line for the future". A week ago Leonardo announced Milan's strategies for the next transfer window, in a wide-ranging speech linked above all else to the upcoming UEFA sanctions on Financial Fair Play and to whether or not they participate in next season’s Champions League.
The youth strategy is a necessary step to start a process of balancing their accounts: something that will be important if they manage to qualify for the Champions League, but if they fail to overturn Atalanta’s advantage it will become a necessity. Elliott is relying heavily on the scouting network and experience of Geoffrey Moncada, the former Monaco scout who has already overseen the transfers of Dialo and Abanda, and is strongly backed by Gazidis.
The Rosseneri heavily scouted the recent South American under 17 Championship in March, and three targets emerged from this expedition. Juan Sebastian Sforza (Newell's Old Boys), also followed by Juventus, and Matias Palacios (San Lorenzo). However the one that shone the brightest for them was Reinier Jesus Carvalho. The Brazilian playmaker is considered the heir to Paqueta, and the Milan club have been closely following the Flamengo player.
They have also been casting their net over top young talent in Europe too, with Antonio Marin of Dinamo Zagreb catching their eye, he is the latest in a long line of young talented Croatians, but they are not alone in watching him, with Manchester City, Roa and Juventus all paying close attention to him. Aurelien Tchouameni is another young player that has caught Moncada’s eye. He has made an impressive breakthrough at Bordeaux this season, and the club have been evaluating whether to place a bid for the midfielder in the summer. Watford are also said to be monitoring his situation.
However it is not just teenagers that Milan are looking at. They are also keen to bring in young players with a couple of years first team experience that would be of more immediate benefit to the squad. An example of such a player is Boubacar Kamara of Marseilles. He has been compared to former Milan defender Thiago Silva in regard to his elegance on the ball and his immaculate reading of the game, a report that Milan scouts habe confirmed on their trips to watch him. With his contract set to expire in 2020 he seems to be a very attractive prospect to the Rossoneri, but with Marseilles attempting to extend his contract a lot could hinge on those talks.
The chase for Arnaut Groeneveld seems to have gone a little cold recently, mainly due to a serious ankle injury the winger picked up playing for Club Brugges, but the winger was never deemed to be a priority, and the club are instead looking at Nice’s Youcef Atal, who was primarily used as a full-back by the French side, but has recently been deployed on the wing. However the list of clubs chasing him includes a number of European powerhouses, so competition will be fierce for his signature, and Nice have shown a reluctance to sell thus far. Atal was spotted by Milan scouts when they attended a Nice game in order to follow up on long term target Saint-Maximin, however the young Algerian stole the show, netting an impressive hatrick.
The strategy for Milan is clear, invest in the future, by signing young talented players with a good re-sale potential.
