AC Milan have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin in the summer in a deal worth €20m plus bonuses.
The 21-year-old has impressed this season, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 23 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit.
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Coupled with the fact that he would address a glaring issue in the current Milan squad given the lack of options coach Gennaro Gattuso has in the wide positions in the final third, it seems like a sensible addition.
According to Sportmediaset, Milan have reached an agreement with Nice over a €20m plus bonuses deal, although it’s worth noting that no official confirmation has arrived from either club to suggest that Saint-Maximin will definitely move to Italy in the summer.
However, given the heavy reliance on Suso on the right flank, coupled with Hakan Calhanoglu continuing to play out of his more natural role out on the left, the wide roles in Gattuso’s preferred 4-3-3 system undoubtedly need more quality and depth.
Saint-Maximin perhaps hasn’t established himself at the top level yet and hasn’t shown the consistency to suggest that he could be the ideal solution, but ultimately he fits the mould in terms of what Milan are trying to build at the San Siro under the current management.
Krzysztof Piatek and Lucas Paqueta were signed in January, with the pair both in their early 20s and joining a young squad with several players at a similar age.
In turn, Saint-Maximin would add to that if he does arrive, although Milan fans will be desperately hoping that he can offer the threat in the wide positions and a different dynamic in the final third that they’ve been looking for in recent years to complement the options already at Gattuso’s disposal.