AZ Alkmaar midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has accepted an offer from AC Milan to move to Serie A, but the Italians must convince their Dutch counterparts to sanction a deal.
Gazzetta dello Sport claim the 24-year-old has already agreed to join the Rossoneri on a five-year contract, encouraging Milan to open discussions with the Eredivisie outfit.
If everything goes according to plan, the Dutchman should earn around €1.7 million net per season at San Siro and become Milan’s third signing this summer after Marco Sportiello and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
But Reijnders won’t come cheap, with AZ expected to demand anywhere between €18-20m to let him leave the AFAS Stadion.
Milan may try to see if there is any wriggle room given the player’s desire to ply his trade in Serie A, but it’s unlikely they can drive the price down.
Pioli must address a shortage of numbers in the engine room after letting Sandro Tonali depart for Newcastle United in a mega-money deal last week.
In addition to the Italian’s sale, the Rossoneri boss doesn’t know when Ismael Bennacer will return to action after undergoing knee surgery at the tail-end of last season.
Milan must add at least two new pieces to Pioli’s midfield puzzle.
After all but securing Loftus-Cheek’s signature, they may soon ramp up the pressure on AZ to let them take Reijnders to Lombardy.
Capable of covering a multitude of positions in the centre of the park, the versatile midfielder enjoyed a fantastic 2022/23 Eredivisie season, amassing three goals and eight assists from 34 appearances.
He tallied 54 matches last term, bagging seven goals and 12 assists across all competitions.
Wantaway Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic is reportedly ready to cut his salary to facilitate his move to Milan after being deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.
The forward’s current earnings are prohibitive for the seven-time European champions, but he’s ready to lower his wages to team up with the Serie A outfit.
However, Milan won’t go beyond €15m to get the deal over the line, given Pulisic’s contract in London runs out next summer, a figure that’s unlikely to satisfy Chelsea’s request.
