EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

Milan lining up Atalanta star as Calhanoglu replacement

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AC Milan are reportedly being lined up Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic as a possible alternative to Hakan Calhanoglu whose contract with the club will finish at the end of this June. 

The situation of Gianluigi Donnarumma has given a strong message on the stance of the Rossoneri board. The young goalkeeper asked for a huge pay raise that Milan were not interested to give. And in the end, Milan signed Mike Maignan from LOSC Lille.

The same situation is ongoing with the Turkish midfielder. The Rossoneri have offered a contract of €4 million per annum plus bonuses. However, the agent of the player wants €5 million in salary.

Milan are unhappy regarding the situation with Calhanoglu and Ilicic being talked about as a possible replacement for the Turkish midfielder if Calhanoglu does not sign the contract any time soon.

Will Milan let go of Calhanoglu and sign Ilicic?

According to the report, Milan are eyeing up Josip Ilicic as a potential replacement this summer. The Rossoneri management has made their intentions clear on the Donnarumma occasion. 

If the 33-year-old Slovenian forward is to leave Atalanta this summer then Stefano Pioli’s side might have to pay around €5-6 million. 

The report also claimed that Milan are interested in the soon-to-be-free Chelsea World cup winning French forward Oliver Giroud. However, this deal is very much unlikely as the Rossoneri are eyeing a younger forward. 

Ilicic has been in tremendous form in the last couple of years. But, he struggled this season with injury issues. The Slovenian has made 149 appearances for La Dea in all competitions, scoring 56 goals over the four years.

It will be interesting to see what Calhanoglu decides at the end. Will he sign the contract extension or leave Rossoneri for free like Donnarumma did?

In that case, Ilicic would be a good option to replace the Turkish midfielder for Milan. However, the 33-year-old forward has served his best performance for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side and it will be extremely hard for him to replicate that performance again in the mid-thirties. 

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