Winter mercato coming up. Hoping for a couple of upgrades and some more depth. Here is what I think:

GK

We need to renew Donna, even if it costs us. Tata messed up big way against Roma, but kind of redeemed himself yesterday in EL.

Defense

LB and RB are not a priority right now (that may change this Summer)

Biggest problem is CB. Not depth (CBs tend to play more than other roles, Gabbia is reasonable, and Kalulu may be another option). Rather, we need an upgrade. Roma and Kjaer are good. However, our CBs are slow, and given our high pressing games this leaves exposed. We are lucky we have Kessie to cover. Which leads me to ...

Midfield

We badly need a vice-Kessie. Tonali is stepping up nicely as a vice-Benna, but we need someone to give Kessie a rest. This role takes a lot out of players, and Krunic is not up to the task.

Need someone to replace Hakan should he leave (or to put pressure on him to improve should he stay). He had a few unimpressive years followed by several good months. However, his performance in the last several games has not been all that great, certainly not enough to justify the money he is asking.

Attack

Not sure if we need a vice-Ibra right away, given that Leao is playing that role (and Rebic can cover as well if needed). Maybe this summer?

RW upgrade, perhaps? Salad and Samu are ok defensively but not producing much.

Thoughts?

@FM

GK

From what I read and hear, Donna's renewal shouldn't be a problem. Also, yes, forgot to mention this in the other thread but Tatarusanu had a great game against Sparta and certainly redeemed himself.

Defense

Yep, we need a good alternative for Kjaer and Romagnoli. Hopefully we can get Kabak.

Midfield

Krunic needs to be let go, and yes we need another option in central midfield. Pretty sure we can get someone reliable on the cheap or loan who won't mind warming the bench.

As for replacing Hakan, should he leave that will get us in big trouble. Don't think Brahim is the right solution. We need to get creative and start scouting. Shame Paqueta didn't turn out the promise we all thought he'd be.

Attack

Don't think we'll get anyone for the time being with Leao and Rebic as alternatives.

Yup, I would be happy with a CB upgrade (Kabak or someone similar) and a vice-Kessie. And a Hakan replacement if we need one.

Agreed.

CB, CM and ST for me are the priorities.

CB for sure we need someone who's fast and physical but he can't be some brainless sprinter. I don't think Kabak is that though, don't think he's that fast or physical.

At CM we definitely need someone to cover Kessie. I don't know who that could be though. It has to be someone with a very specific skillset not just any rando imo. Lille have some very interesting players in this regard. I hope the management team is looking for someone in this position rather than just CBs

Regarding the CF position, I think it's absolutely necessary that we sign a vice Zlatan. It seems like Pioli doesn't trust Leao upfront and Rebic is a waste playing there. Mandzukic is a free agent, I say go for him and we push for Belotti in the summer

CB is tough. I agree, we need smart, fast, tough, probably tall ... and not too expensive. Not easy.

CM is tough because we want someone good (similar characteristics and Kessie) but willing to be a rotational player. This player will get plenty of minutes, but I would expect Kessie to remain primary in this role.

I agree we need a CF, but to me this is lower priority right now (though we will absolutely need this by summer). But we are back to the same problem. We need someone that can take over for Ibra and do so effectively ... but who is also willing to be in his shadow for some time.

So if it comes down to choices, I would rather nail (really nail) the first two and give up on the CF, rather than end up with three marginal choices. Now if we can get all three I would be elated.

Crazy rumor floating around that if we win the Scudetto Elliot will "gift us" with Haaland.

That's a big IF

I don't think Haaland is affordable for any Italian club, let alone us.

Is this the source of the rumor?

If so, I could come up with something more credible.

Not sure. I got it indirectly. I did say *crazy* rumor.

EDIT: what I have seen specifically mentioned Elliot, but may come from the same source.

There is most definitely a defender coming in this winter, other than that don't think we have much chance for anyone else.

Especially given the financial handicap the club is in, regardless of table position.

However, if the team does secure CL at the end of the season, then there is a huge chance we could see a top player at the club playing upfront. Or better yet a Cala replacement, as he seems ready to leave.

I am kind of hoping Kalulu could develop in a good defender, so I am starting to think that vice-Kessie is more urgent. We probably need both. But I do understand financial reality.

I believe Calha replacement (or backup), vice-Ibra, and maybe vice-Theo will have to wait until the Summer.

Indeed, SempreMilan is a complete joke of a site. Its content is horrific.

That all said, Haaland is literally the world's best striker now, and makes the sport look ridiculously easy.

He will cost easily beyond ?250M. No one will be able to afford him.

I thought Kalulu was pretty good! He had that physicality that we lacked in the game. He didn't do a step wrong except on that goal situation against Gervinho, but anyone could have fallen to that tricky player.

We absolutely need a DM as well.

The fact that we'll most likely have to play with Krunic against Lazio says enough re the emergent situation in that position. If something happens to Kessie long-term as well we are well and truly f'd

I don't think we'll go for another DM. The whole point of last summers mercato was to sign quality over quantity, for the first time in years. And I think it payed off. Yes, we have a roster that is currently depleted and we need reinforcements badly (see CF, CB AND RW) but we cannot expect everything out of nothing.

Kessie and Bennacer are starters, Tonali and Krunic backups. Yes, we need another DM but in all honesty you think we can get someone better then Krunić during the winter break? Perhaps a unknown talent, that should be our best shot.

Because we need a good striker and a good defender. I hope the constant rumor regarding The Spitter (Kabak) cools off because he's exactly what we should avoid. I'd also go for Mandzukic for striker - he's a free agent with plenty of experience of playing in offensive teams like Milan.

If only we would manage to ship off Leao and sign a RW like Thauvin immediately as well..

The Spitter?

Agreed about Mandzukic. Him or Milik would be great reinforcements in attack. And I think we should start forgetting about Jovic cos I just realised he has a ?9 million salary per year. Way out of out budget.

Don't think we'll ship off Leao any time sooner.

That's disgusting.

Made a big fuss out of this in Germany.

I really don't think we need such a player in our roster.

Manduzic would be a really good backup to have. He also plays on the wings, i think. I like Milik too, but would prefer not to spend 15 million on such a striker.

Okay, let's avoid the spitter then...we don't need someone like that in the squad...

Agreed about Manduzic. I don't know why this deal is not made already. It really seems like an obvious move.

For Thauvin, I'm not sure about him. Do you think he'll provide us with something good? I really like Saelmakers, and think he's instrumental for the balance of the team. He might prove to have limitations in the end for sure, but till now I really like what he provides to the team. I think Thauvin for sure can provide more quality, but much less work rate and balance. I've saw the guy play just a bit, so maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway, the market can be simple, I hope we don't overcomplicate it. Manduzic (free agent) and a good defender and we should be okay. Maybe we'll get more funds available to push for a scudetto. Ofcourse, if Papu Gomez will be available, we should snap on that opportunity even if he is not in a position we sorely need.

No word on Mandzukić, and I think Elliot/Gazidis isn't a fan of free agents and old players. More rumors regarding Scamacca (Genoa). No real Milik link either but considering his medical history, I'd rather avoid him as well.

Bringing on a defender (even two?) is imperative, but I don't think all the mentioned targets would do any good. I'm not optimistic about that at all.

Thauvin is a big question mark because he's a moody player (didn't like EPL football for example) but if he's in the right team he usually does very well. I think we need to ship off Samu ASAP and try bring in Thauvin. Yes, Saelemakers isn't doing badly for the balance, but we need more offensive options for the right flank, especially when we play teams like Parma who defend usually with 10 men.

what about papu gomez he is aprrently avaiable and read on football italia we an get him as Atlanta owes us fro Caldara

Papu Gomez as vice-Hakan then.

I'm also reading on Mediaset that we're very serious about Jovic, and we might get him on a dry loan for 6 months.

Also, Simakan of Strasbourg is being mentioned for the CB position.

I don't think he would sit on the bench.

That's good news!?

I don't think we need another completely unknown defender with 20 years, but okay.

Yep, we have already Kalulu!

I couldn't agree more with this, what is needed is more experience. But if its Maldini who is recruiting, then I might welcome the player

Yep, agreed.

We badly need reinforcements. However, we have done a good job of building a young team, so we need to avoid panic buys. A CL spot is looking likely now. It is good to dream about more than that, but building for the future matters more IMHO.

We need a good CF. We may hustle with Leao or Rebic in there, but we can't hope to win the scudetto / finish in the top spots without a dependable CF. Unfortunately Zlatan is not reliable cos he's having way too many muscular injuries that may continue to persist. No idea when he's returning in January. This article says 23 January, so that gives you a good idea of the severity of the situation.

I think it would be a huge mistake not to intervene in that area. If the possibility of signing Jovic exists, even if on a dry loan, we should totally take it.

But this argument also applies for the CB. We've been lucky with Gabbia and Kalulu somehow filling for Kjaer and Romagnoli, but they can't be our second choices. Musacchio and Duarte are on their way out, so a CB is a must. Shame we've discarded Musacchio like this. I've always considered him a capable defender.

Different argument for the DM. Although I think we definitely a DM as well, I think the CB and CF positions are the most urgent ones.

I think we need a CM above all. This is a position that requires a lot of running, so players get tired and/or get injured. We need 4 players of starter level quality (or close), which is what Pioli asked for in the Summer Mercato. As it stands, Tonali still has a ways to go and Krunic is not up to the job. Our defense suffers when we do not play Kessie + Bona, even more so when neither of them is available.

Next (in order of priority), we need a CF. In the past I did not think we needed someone here, but Ibra will keep getting injured, Rebic is not effective in the role, Leao too inconsistent, Colombo and Maldini too "raw". Problem is, this is a position where either you spend good money or you get stuck with someone mediocre. And we do not want someone mediocre (we are better off playing Leao and hope he will improve). To make things more complicated, whenever Ibra is healthy he will be the primary for the role, so we need someone good ... who is willing to ride the bench. Not an easy role to fill.

Next we need a CB. This is lower priority IMHO, because Roma and Kjear are good, Gabbia and (surprisingly) Kalulu are good replacements. However (with the exception of Kalulu) our defenders are too slow, and so we are open to counters (especially when we do not have Kessie + Benna). So if we get anyone at all it needs to be someone "starter quality".

Beyond that, we will have to wait. I see us getting a couple of players, three at a stretch, not more. I like the fact that we have not made panic buys, so I hope we make the right decisions here. I would take one quality addition over three questionable players.

Rumours linking us to Celtic's Edouard for the CF position.

I really liked him against us. It could be a good prospective signing.

I think we need some maturity if we wanna win this scudetto.

Apparently we're not interested in +30 profiles, so no Llorente's, Mandzukic's etc.

I don't think Llorrente would do the trick anyhow. Mandzukic would only be good because he knows Serie A and also is free. But other then that, the problem is that experienced strikers can be also 24-29. Why not go for a player with a little bit of more know how.

On other news, seems we signed that young defender from Strasbourg, Well.. hopefully he's the next Thuram or something like that... because we already have plenty of unfinished defenders who almost costed us the winter title.

Simakan? Don't think there's been any confirmation or announcement yet. Where did you read it?

Yeah, I get that you want some experience in this team, but we sort of already have plenty 23-26-year-old guys that have been around for a while. I don't think this team lacks experience. We just need a few finishing touches here and there that can give us that extra depth necessary to compete on all three fronts. And I'd rather opt for quality over experience in all honesty. If Simakan and Edouard are better than some 27-y-o alternatives then I'm all for it.

Simakan is not "closed" yet. There are (unconfirmed) rumors that Chelsie is also after him.

As for team addition, (based on various interviews) it looks like the intention is not to upset the balance, which is probably a good idea.

My biggest concern is that we have not yet renewed the contracts with Dolla and Hackan.

Been linked to Rangers' Morelos and Celtic's Edouard for the past 3 years.

Don't entirely disagree, look what experience did up top with Ibra. He's a pivotal reason we're seriously in this hunt.

Indeed. I think it's very risky adding too much youth to this already green team. Not just in terms of experience, but team chemistry as well.

My mistake, I misread. But yes, it was supposed to be Simankan.

Rumors that Inter may be out for sale (source). Of course, they were denied (source).

The article basically says that Rothschild has a mandate to look for someone to buy out Lion Rock (a fund that owns 31,05% of the shares), but the rumor is they have been authorized to sell it all. The article also says that the ownership has communicated to team representatives that all is actually happening is a re-financing of the 375M debt.

Please keep in mind that some of our "youth" has aged and gained experience. I believe we are unlikely to go for players in the mold of Zlatan or Kjear. We may get one or two players with some years of experience, but I believe that the general philosophy is to look for players that can increase in value. Also, I do not believe we will go for someone that will expect a high salary.

Ditto.

In the mold of Zlatan, surely not, no one is available. But someone like Kjaer, why not? Yes, I know Gazidis and his philosophy, that's alright with me - but IMO in order to win the scudetto we need such players as well.

Sure, Calabria, Donna and a few others gained experience, but not at top level; never did they fight to remain on top.

Seems like Musacchio rejected a move to Genoa/Turkey and will stay. Great.