AC Milan will speak with Real Madrid over a deal for Alvaro Odriozola that would see them shelve plans to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier, per Calciomercato.
The Serie A giants have scheduled meetings for this week as they look to strengthen Stefano Pioli’s squad. Milan believe Odriozola’s profile fits well with their ambitions for next season and hope to strike a loan-to-buy deal.
Real Madrid have given Milan the go-ahead for a temporary deal that carries an option to buy Odriozola next summer. But the two sides are yet to agree on a fee, and thus Rossoneri Sporting Director Frederic Massara has been circling alternative options, including Aurier.
Manchester United have already rejected Milan’s loan-to-buy approach for their top target Diogo Dalot. The Red Devils insist any deal for the Portuguese to return to the San Siro for a second season must include an obligation to buy.
But Milan cannot currently agree to Manchester United’s terms, so Massara has explored Aurier’s situation at Tottenham. The Rossoneri chief knows the Ivorian well and tried to sign him last summer, and feels better placed now the defender is in the last year of his contract.
Should Milan feel comfortable with Real Madrid’s terms for Odriozola, though, the Serie A runners up will likely overlook Aurier. Doing so would mark the 28-year-old’s second exit route collapsing in a matter of weeks.
Paris Saint-Germain no longer want Aurier, per Gazzetta dello Sport, after signing Achraf Hakimi. The Ligue 1 giants paid Inter Milan £52m with a further £9m in add-ons for the Moroccan, after just one season at the San Siro after joining from Real Madrid.
Aurier seeing Tottenham exit routes collapse in AC Milan and PSG
Aurier will likely want Milan to fail in their pursuit of Odriozola, so they begin negotiating his transfer with Tottenham. The £70,000-per-week full-back told L’Equipe in May that he felt his time in north London had reached its end.
“I’ve reached the end of a cycle and it’s time to look elsewhere,” he said. “The two parties, Tottenham’s board and my agents, have agreed upon the conditions. We’ll see after that.”
But six weeks later, a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain fell through. And Milan may overlook a deal with Tottenham for Aurier if Real Madrid offer favourable terms for Odriozola.
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