AC Milan’s director of football Frederic Massara has suggested that a deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur right-back Serge Aurier is impossible, even if the Ivorian is a ‘great player’.
Without the riches of Champions League football lining their pockets, a club who haven’t sat at Europe’s top table since 2013/14 have forced to adapt their transfer policy quite significantly.
As chief executive Ivan Gazidis told Gianluca di Marzio: “We won’t make huge signings like in the past.”
And with Tottenham demanding £20 million for Aurier, it seems that Milan have been priced out of the market.
The Rossoneri are currently not willing to pay a penny more than £13 million (Bleacher Report) – claims that appear to have been backed up by Milan’s director of football himself.
“Aurier is a great player. But, in this moment, there are not the necessary conditions (for a transfer). He cannot be our objective,” Massara told Di Marzio.
These days, Milan appear to be adopting a buy-low-sell-high policy not to dissimilar to that of Europa League winners Sevilla, with the likes of Rafael Leao, Alexis Saelemaekers and Ismael Bennacer arriving at the San Siro since last summer.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have allegedly identified Lille’s Turkey international Zeki Celik as the man to solve a problematic right-back spot in Jose Mourinho’s starting XI.
But Spurs will not be stepping up their interest until they can find a buyer for Aurier.
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