Milan line up four transfer options in case of Reijnders departure for Man City

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 19: Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan competes for the ball with Axel Guessand of Udinese Calcio during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 19, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Reports in Italy claim that Milan will look to secure two key transfer targets and that they also have two other altre soluzioni options in the event that Tijjani Reijnders leaves the club for either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the summer transfer window. 

Reports this week claim that both City and Madrid are interested in pinching Reijnders away from the Rossoneri. Updates on Friday suggest that Pep Guardiola’s team are keen to get a deal done before the start of the FIFA Club World Cup, which kicks off in the United States on June 15. 

Who could replace Reijnders for Milan? 

According to reports from Calciomercato.com, Milan will look to secure a deal with Torino for Italy international Samuele Ricci in the event that Reijnders leaves. 

The Rossoneri have been linked with a move for the 23-year-old for most of the 2024-25 campaign, but there have been some obstacles along the way, with Torino likely to request a fee in excess of €30m, potentially over €35m. 

However, if Reijnders does leave for a price tag in the region of €70m-€75m, then the path would be clear for Milan to match Torino’s Ricci valuation. 

In addition to Ricci, Milan will also look to strengthen up front. Tammy Abraham is increasingly likely to return to Roma at the end of his loan spell, while Luka Jovic is also in line to depart, leaving just Santiago Gimenez as the senior option at centre-forward. 

According to reports over the course of the 2024-25 season, Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca is a prime candidate to strengthen Milan’s options up top. 

The Italy international is valued in the region of €30m by his current employers in Udine according to updates from Calciomercato.com. 

Milan are not the only interested party in the towering centre-forward, though, as Napoli have also registered an interest. 

If Milan are unable to pull off a deal for Lucca, the altre soluzioni options include Jonathan Burkardt of Mainz in the Bundesliga, and Nikola Krstovic of Lecce, who remain in the Serie A relegation zone with two games left to play.

The Lecce striker is expected to leave in the summer transfer window if the team are unable to avoid relegation.