These are the news stories we are going to get throughout the day:

"Something is happening in the Correa negotiation, his agent is in <Milano / Madrid>"

"Milan is hopeful, as Correa says he only wants Milan"

"Atleti are unhappy, because Monaco is ready with an offer for 55M, but Correa has rejected the move"

"Negotiation has stalled, Milan does not want to pay more than 40M + bonus, Atleti insists on 55M"

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EDIT: should add, all news sources appear to be equally clueless ...

Sounds like the Rodrigo deal fell apart (which probably means we do not sell Silva). Correa deal apparently is still in the making.

Atletico are asking 55M for Correa whereas we offer 38 + bonuses because we believe that’s the actual value of the player./Sky

You know, I don’t blame Boban and Maldini. Atletico are thinking in terms of the overall craze of the current prices all around, but realistically speaking, Correa is not worth more than 40M.

Our offer i think is very decent

30 goals in 178 games, bench player at Atletico. You can shove those 55M up your bum.

More of the same on the Correa saga, Laxalt may or may not leave, but not much else happening. Starting to get increasingly concerned that this may be it for our mercato. Trying to stay patient, keep telling myself that most M&B's deals have come with little warning, keep telling myself there still is time, but ...

On the trequartista, was reading up on Giampaolo's teams, and he has relied on Saponara quite a bit in that role (Empoli and Samp). So perhaps he sees Suso as an "upgrade", which is why he appears to be keen on him. Not sure what to make of that.

In any case, biggest hole IMHO at this point is our attack. Piatek and Leao (with Castillejo, Borini, and maybe Silva as backup) feels somewhat ... limited (an yes, I realize Fillipo has been making that same point on another thread).

Next biggest hole, defense. We were 3rd best last year but Rino played defensively while Giampaolo is supposed to be more attack-minded, so we are likely to be more exposed. We are covered on the left (even if Laxalt does leave). On the right I am worried about Conti coming back from injury (so we may have to rely on Calabria), and in the center Roma is solid, Caldara may or may not come back in full from injury plus adjust to a new system, so we are down to Duarte (unproven) and Musacchio (too error prone).

If you keep thinking like that, then our team is full of holes. Which it is. Many players we have are not good enough. But the point is to take it for what it is and hope the few new signings we've made this summer will only strengthen us from last season. Plus hope that Giampaolo proves to be a capable coach.

I never expected us to make miracles in this signing campaign given we are coming from the biggest financial loss in many, many years and also being kicked out from Europe. But considering the limited resources, I think Boban and Maldini have done a decent job. Obviously we still need 1/2 quality signings, so here's to hoping for that.

You say that only because we can't afford it. This crazy is the new normal.

Players aren't worth the asking price, the selling club just has the power to get what they want now.

Harry Maguire for 80M?! It stopped making sense a long time ago.

One thing I like about the new regime is that we do not cave in on ridiculous demands, at least not easily. We saw that with Veretaut, with Bennacer (salary negotiation with agent), and now with Correa. At the end we may give in some, but by holding firm we are sending a strong message. M&F (and arguably Leo) operated differently.

Agreed.

Wow, you just basically said that all good things lie in hope. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you. But having it said that bluntly makes me expect even less.

Well, given that all our signings (Duarte, Hernandez, Bennacer, Krunic, Leao) have everything to prove yet, hope is kind of what we have to do at this point.

Rumors about a potential Silva-Schick exchange. Not convinced this an improvement, but Silva seems to have no drive and Schick did well under GP.

Apparently, I am not the only one who is not impressed by Suso in the TQ role (link):


(Translation: Suso cast as a trequartista is a gamble that, if confirmed, long term will not bring benefits. You need a specialist for the role, and the Spaniard is not.)

For me that is an improvement. Not that I really care that much about Schick to be honest.



This is a difficult topic.

On one hand, I fully agree that Suso is not the best player to have there. He's a left-footed, right-winger who thrives in that position, kind of like Robben, just as an example.

Besides, we have players like Hakan and Paqueta who are more suited to play as trequartista.

On the other hand, though, for me Suso is a priceless player to have. Yes, I know that many fans like Danny and Fillipo don't rate him, and I'm not saying he's world class, but given the quality of players we have at disposal, you just can't keep someone like him out.

Bottom line is, unless a good offer comes and we ship him out for a replacement, I just can't see us refraining ourselves from the quality and creativity that Suso brings to the table, even if it's in a position that's not exactly his forte.

We should not blow out of proportion Suso's TQ play. I mean he had one good friendly game and perhaps the one in Kosovo but that's hardly important. MilanNews also jumped the gun with him being marked as very good for the TQ.

I'm not convinced he's good for that position and agree with Han, he's too selfish and too self-centered to fulfill his main duties.

I don't buy this. There may be many reasons why he may not fulfil his duties, but selfishness is not one of them.

It was me

Sorry, missed that one

Not Milan related, but has anyone seen Joao Felix? Probably the best player in the world for the next 10 years alongside Mbappe. Atletico have done it again.

nope but he has been hyped as the next big thing

But Atletico is really admirable. How shrewd their operations work and how many talents they tend to discover/land. It's really a great model.

True, but this time they paid something like 120M.

tbf Atletico did nothing. Benfica did it all then banked themselves £130M. Usually Atleti get these guys for minimal outlay then sell at a horrific profit. Falcao, Aguero, Torres, Forlan etc. This time they're paying standard market rate for a world class player. Only got him for that price mind you because he's only 19.

The guy's numbers, for a 19 year old, are absolutely unreal. 26 league apparances, 15 goals and 9 assists.

You're right about Mbappe, I pegged him for the world's best striker when he merely broke through at 18. He was remarkable and it was clear he would be the best unequivocally. He's already a world cup winner.

About as good as they get.

(link)

Surely he can't. That something clubs used to do in the 80s and 90s, turning wingers into TQ and such. But nowadays... I really don't think so. What a mess, we're starting the season almost completely unprepared and unequipped.

Damn. I saw a highlight. He looks incredible.

Well, only two years ago Sarri turned Mertens from winger to CF and he scored a shitload of goals. Or Pirlo from trequartista to DM. Same with Pjanic.

Players do evolve and change roles, it has nothing to do with the 80s and 90s. Whether it will work for Suso, that's a big question. Sometimes I think he can pull it off, sometimes I think we should have signed a proper trequartista instead. But I agree that starting the season with such a big question mark is not a good thing.

Hopefully we can sign Correa.



Him and Mbappe will become the new Messi and Ronaldo.

For Mbappe's sake, I hope he leaves PSG.

We also have Bonaventura... 🤷‍♂️

Bonaventura was terrible for two years before his injury. Doubt he can make a difference now.

Pirlo's switch happened almost 20 years ago. I'll give you Mertens but it's more of a rarity nowadays.

I think we're in a terrible mess. The coach want's to play a certain, specific, antiquated and more complicated system but I somehow doubt we're even half-way equipped for this. Sure, Bennacer might turn out good, and sure Krunić might be okay (I doubt this very much, but let's assume). But we still lack the true possession DM like Ambrosini or more recently Bakayoko. I don't think Bennacer alone is gonna cut it and Kessie...well I don't expect anything out of him. Next we still lack creativity even though we have a bunch of players who are creative, but we don't know where exactly to deploy them in the new system. Next we need a TQ but none of the options (and we have a bunch of them) feels extremely comfortable in this position nor did our test matches (Serie C team, Kosovo team, American tour too far off - why don't we play something like the Berlusconi Cup anymore, with Inter and Juve??). A next we lack the gem player that connects the TQ and Piatek. Not to speak that if Piatek gets injured we have no other sub then the Leao kid. And we still got a bunch of players that are either useless or surplus to our system. If this would be mid-July I'd say were doing okay, but hell...


Bona wasn't terrible, that's a harsh overstatement. He was good and also never really got the chance to play in midfield.

Pirlo was NEVER a DM.

He was a completely new position made more or less for him by Carlo in regista. I know our glory days are a bit behind us now but let's not turn Pirlo into something he definitely wasn't.

Guy couldn't defend for toffee (!)

The thing that doesn't get in my head is why have we splashed 30M for Leao as a potential sub player all the while we are only 10M short for Correa who seems to be our top priority because we're not giving up on him? How does this make sense?

Yes, we expected Silva and maybe Castillejo to be sold. But why not invest first in Correa, and then if and only if we have the chance grab Leao as well? I'd be more then fine with Piatek and Correa as first strings and a experienced but much cheaper sub then now lacking one of the key ingredients.

News today from L’Equipe that we have reached an agreement with Monaco for Kessie for 35M. Need to convince the player.

But Leao is a great prospect. His former coach at Sporting said a few days ago that he’s shown the same potential that Cristiano had at his age. So, here’s to hoping...

He switched from trequartista in his Inter and Brescia days to playing in front of the defense for the rest of his career. His transformation is one of the biggest and most influential in recent football history. Call it whatever you want, but I was trying to make a point.

Same was told about Silva. I doubt that he’s anywhere near that kind of talent but anyway... Is yet another prospect what we really need the most? We’re a team filled with prospects and talents. Leao won’t have the same immediate impact that Correa would have made. So I think it’s just another blunder.

Totally agreed. Unless we manage to sign Correa that is.

I must say Maldini and Boban disappointed me. Leonardo at least tried, he gave a fair chance with Higuain and especially signing Paqueta.

This summer has been a complete mess.

True, but I was just trying to be exact over what he was. And that wasn't a DM. You're dead right with your point, Carlo created a whole new brand of football with him.

It was as significant in the early noughties as Pep's tiki taka was a decade or so later.

Man, I've never seen anything as confusing as this Milan-Correa saga that's been going on for, what, over a month now? Every f*cking day they report different news. One day it's a done deal, the next it's not. If you don't have anything constructive to say, then don't say anything at all! I hate journalists.

And I hate incompetent administrations 🤭

Inter have signed Alexis Sanchez as well, on loan. United will even pay 7M of his 12M salary.

Why the hell couldn't we land a signing like that? The guy would have been perfect.

Because they have a manager with whom they can challenge for the league. We on the other hand at best are targeting 4th only

Or it's because they have Beppe Marotta and we have to managerial rookies whose credentials are club legends and Sky sports commentator?

Good point.

Sanchez is also not a good player any more! I wouldn't want him at any club I support.

Yeah, I think piling up ManUtd rejects could easily backfire for Inter.

So, you're against young prospects like Leao but also against experienced, proven players like Sanchez...

No, any you know it

I'm just not very fond to the bunch of players currently at/around ManUtd. I think they're very problematic to say the least and transferring not one but two or three (Darmian perhaps) players would be a questionable move. Especially Sanchez seems to be problematic - just read what Neville said about this situation.

But it's a gamble Milan has/had to take. Inter not su much, but I get their strategy and the risk they take. We on the other hand need such players. So, don't act like you don't know what I meant...