With the departure of Fonseca and the appointment of Conceicao, the winter transfer window strategy of Serie A giants AC Milan may undergo a complete change. Fonseca's favorite, Abraham, may be relegated to the bench, while Jovic, who Fonseca refused to use, will get his chance. At the same time, Tomori is unlikely to be sent to Juventus.
The names that were repeatedly mentioned by the media have gradually lost contact with the Rossoneri, and new names are emerging. The author summarized the rumors after Conceicao took office and found that they could be summed up in one sentence: "Has Red Bird struck gold? Winter window may sign black shop forward Pepe, future team locks down two key reinforcements."
It is well known that since Leonardo left, Milan has not spent more than 4.5 million euros in the winter window. However, this time they seem ready to make a big move. Because they have set their sights on a player from a notorious black shop.
Leading the charge is Conceicao's former Porto player Pepe, a 27-year-old Brazilian forward who played as an attacking midfielder and on both wings under Conceicao, making him a versatile player in the front line. Since joining Porto in 2021, he has contributed 24 goals and 30 assists in 170 games. Currently, the player's value is 27 million euros.
The player is open to joining Milan, but the biggest problem is the price. After all, Porto is a well-known black shop, and the possibility of them letting go at a discount is almost zero.
Milan's last dealings with Porto were last summer when the Red Birds hoped to sign Iranian forward Taremi at the last minute. After much negotiation, the deal fell through, and Milan signed Jovic at the last minute. As for Taremi, he joined Milan's local rivals Inter Milan for free this summer.
The Iranian rarely gets playing time in the league, but he has made six starts in the Champions League. In the match against Red Star Belgrade, he contributed one goal and two assists to help his team win.
What will be the result of the tug-of-war between the Red Birds and Porto this time?
In addition to Conceicao's former players, Mendes' players also seem to have become the target of the Rossoneri's recruitment.
Players such as Trincao and Daniel Braganca from Sporting Lisbon, Reyna from Borussia Dortmund, and Antonio Silva from Benfica have been linked with the Rossoneri.
Among these four players, 21-year-old Antonio Silva is valued at 38 million euros and plays for the famous black shop Benfica. Therefore, this is not something the Red Birds can afford, so let's rule it out first.
The author believes that the most likely candidate is Reyna from Borussia Dortmund, who holds an American passport, fitting the Red Birds' American strategy. Moreover, his highest value was 42 million euros, but now it is 12 million euros, which fits the Red Birds' bottom-fishing strategy.
As for Trincao and Braganca, the former is an enhanced version of Castillejo, but his physique is not good. He had mediocre performances at Barcelona and Wolves, so he went to Sporting Lisbon. The latter is 25 years old and has never played in the top five leagues, with a current value of 14 million euros.
In addition to the first team, Milan's future team will also strengthen itself in this winter window. They need to work hard to avoid relegation.
In the Red Birds' blueprint, the future team occupies a significant place. In the context of Serie A, if you don't invest your own money, you have to generate your own blood to maintain competitiveness. The Milan future team is part of the Red Birds' self-blood generation plan, and the other part is the stadium.
Therefore, the Red Birds must invest in the future team in this winter window.
It is reported that the future team has already locked down two key reinforcements.
The first is Magrassi from Serie B team Chitadella. The 31-year-old Italian player has played 9 games for Chitadella this season, including one Italian Cup game. He has played more than 250 minutes and contributed one assist.
The second is Okoro from Venice. The 19-year-old was loaned to Serie C team Pesaro this season and scored a goal against the Milan future team. In the past half-season, he played 17 Serie C league games, starting 8 times and scoring 4 goals. The player's current value is 100,000 euros, and Milan wants to offer a loan deal. However, Venice only accepts permanent transfers, with an asking price of around 1.5 million euros.
These two players are both forward reinforcements, so it seems that Camarda will focus more on first-team games in the coming period.
At the same time, the 19-year-old Okoro still has unlimited potential. If Milan buys him and he performs well, their front line may really be worry-free.