How Milan Missed Out On The Signing Of Former EPL Star Currently Lighting Up The Serie A With Napoli

The current Serie A season is already half way through with Inter Milan leading the table after 20 games, three points more than AC Milan in second and the same gap between the Rossoneri and Napoli in third while Juventus are fourth on the table following a resurgence under Luciano Spalletti.

More Details

As we prepare to enter the other half of the season, the Scudetto race is expected to heat up while teams have a chance to strengthen their squad in this January transfer window, but unlike the summer transfer window, winter is shorter, hence it is usually in terms of signing.

LATEST POSTS

For Milan, who are among the serious contenders for the title, they were able to quickly conclude one of the first signing this January with the signing of Niclas Füllkrug from English Premier League side, West Ham on loan but the story could have been different before the season started.

This is because Rasmus Hojlund could have ended up at Milan before his move away from Manchester United, but the striker ultimately rejected the Rossoneri in favour of Napoli due to sporting and contractual guarantees, a decision they will most definitely be regretting right now.

According to Matteo Moretto, Milan had put a serious proposal on the table for the Denmark international during talks with the EPL club and made their summer approach for Hojlund even before Napoli came into the picture and signed the player who was eager to leave the Old Trafford.

The Rossoneri offered a paid loan worth €3.5m, with an option to buy set at €35m, a sizeable operation that underlined their interest in reshaping the attack around the Dane and despite the financial commitment, negotiations never truly gathered momentum with the parties involved.

The decisive factor was not United’s stance, but Hojlund’s own assessment of the move as the striker carefully evaluated the sporting context and ultimately decided that Milan’s proposal did not fully meet his requirements if he should leave the Red Devils and return to the Serie A.

The former Atalanta forward was determined to continue playing in the Champions League, a competition he views as essential for his development and international profile and then he wanted clear guarantees over a permanent transfer rather than a deal dependent on conditions or future negotiations.

The Partenopei moved with greater conviction, presenting Hojlund with a defined technical project and firm assurances over the buy clause, which proved decisive and Milan are left with some regret over an ambitious move that fell apart due to the player’s demands rather than a lack of intent from the club.

In a related development, former Milan and Italy star, Demetrio Albertini has praised Scott McTominay for his impact since joining Napoli two years ago as the Scotland international continues to draw plaudits in Italy, and this time the praise came from one of Italian football‘s greats.

“He surprised me with his extremely high level of quality, with the all-round ability he has managed to impose in a year and a half. We’ve seen him do everything: play as a box-to-box midfielder, as a winger, as a forward and then even as a holding midfielder and a playmaker.” Albertini told Gazzetta dello Sport.

”How many players like him are around? That he has been the strongest midfielder in Italy isn’t just my opinion; his fellow players said it too, when he was voted MVP at the Gran Galà del Calcio. Those votes come from players like him, and they count for more.” The former Milan and Barcelona midfielder continued in his interview.

Read Also: Nigerian Defender Could Return To Italy In January

“He scored a lot, and his goals are usually decisive. That’s another big difference compared to the norm. I don’t know if he’s also the best in Europem but he’s certainly among the very best and to me that almost feels like a detail. Congratulations to whoever had the idea to bring him to Napoli.” He concluded.

Do you have a story tip?
Kindly Email: keepup@bettitude.com

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube