Leicester City missed out on M’Baye Niang earlier in the year and they may find he is out of their reach for good with Milan finally making progress.
AC Milan striker M’Baye Niang has revealed that he has turned down lucrative offers from the Premier League as he wants to become captain at the San Siro, according to Calciomercato.
Niang finally proved his worth at Milan with an impressive breakthrough campaign last season under Sinisa Mihajlovic after flattering to deceive somewhat since arriving from Caen as a 17-year-old back in 2012.
Consequently, the 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months, The Guardian reporting that Leicester had made a bid of around £14 million pounds in January while Everton and West Ham expressed an interest in the summer.
However, Niang appears to have dashed any potential suitor’s hopes of bringing one of Milan’s prized assets to England, claiming that the prospect of helping the seven-time European Cup winners return to continental competition after three seasons mired in mid-table is too big to pass up.
“I do feel like one of the leaders of the team. If I continue to work hard I can become a champion and this Milan team wants to return to being where it belongs; in the Champions League,” the Frenchman told La Reppublica, as reported by Calciomercato.
“I would love to become the captain of this team”.
Niang, a quick, versatile forward with the ability to play through the middle or out wide, admitted to The Mirror this summer that he spurned Leicester’s advances because Claudio Ranieri claimed he would be used as back-up to Jamie Vardy, forcing them to settle for Ahmed Musa (below) instead.
Calciomercato have also claimed that Arsenal have muscled their way into the queue for his sought-after signature, with Arsene Wenger having shown an initial interest just before he moved to Milan in 2012.
However, Niang’s improving goal ratio and versatility means that his value has sky-rocketed to a reported £31 million.
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