AC Milan were active in the first half of the January transfer window by making two additions and selling a player, but the door remains open for more potential exits in the coming fortnight.
Matteo Gabbia was the first to arrive at Milanello after his loan deal at Villarreal was cut short by six months to aid the defensive injury emergency, then Filippo Terracciano joined from Hellas Verona as a versatile option.
There has also been a departure, with Rade Krunic leaving after four and a half years at the club as he finally got the move to Fenerbahce that seemed an inevitability from the summer.
The Rossoneri management do not seem to have any intention of stopping and they have further outgoing operations planned, in addition to the €30m they hope to collect in June.
A, B or C?
Luka Romero was signed on a free transfer after his contract expired at Lazio last summer, but he has not found much playing time so far this season and would like – in agreement with the management – a change of scenery.
The first contacts were initiated with Como, a Serie B club, who expressed a willingness to acquire the Argentine on a dry loan deal, giving him a prominent role under the guidance of their head coach Cesc Fabregas.
However, in the last few hours a couple more options have emerged. The first is Boca Juniors, who are of course a prestigious club from Romero’s home country and they quickly jumped above Como in his preferences.
After ‘C’ and ‘B’ comes ‘A’, and the idea that Romero seems to like the most. Almeria in LaLiga have come forward in an attempt to land the teenager and he would be happy to return to Spain, which other reports have confirmed.
Leaning towards the tower
Another name that Milan are considering loan bids for is Davide Bartesaghi who – after the arrival of Terracciano and the explosion of Alex Jimenez – has lost his spot near the top of Stefano Pioli’s defensive hierarchies.
Pisa, who are currently fourteenth in Serie B, want to try and sign the full-back until June and they have guaranteed the Rossoneri management that he would play continuously there.
Milan have already given their approval to the loan as a result and now, in order for it to all be agreed, will have to receive the consent of Bartesaghi himself.
A response is expected in the next few hours from the 18-year-old, who of course came through the Milan academy and thus feels a very strong attachment to the club.
From Monza to Turin
The last couple of names we have updates on are a bit more complex. It starts with Lorenzo Colombo, who is currently on loan at Monza until the end of the season.
He could be used in the Alessandro Buongiorno operation, so Milan’s strategy is in fact to reach an agreement with Monza to end the loan early and then Colombo would head to Torino.
It would be a player-plus-cash deal, but there are a lot of different things to be agreed before it becomes a reality: an agreement on how the Buongiorno deal would be structured, then the approval of Monza, and then the player’s green light for the loan switch.
In addition to Colombo, Torino have asked the Rossoneri about Tommaso Pobega who spent the 2022-23 season on loan there and played a lot under Ivan Juric.
However, there are a couple of hurdles here too: firstly they did not find the immediate approval of Milan who are short on midfielders as it is, and secondly the Italian will be out for some time yet after undergoing surgery.