Could PSG’s double swoop on AC Milan have repercussions for Liverpool and Manchester City?
If PSG do not win France’s Ligue One next season it will be a major shock. Already they have signed Ezequiel Lavezzi from Napoli for £24 million, and last night Silvio Berlusconi announced AC Milan are to sell star duo Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
If you expect AC Milan to sit back, add the money to their coffers and move on, you are very much mistaken.
The Serie A side relinquished their Scudetto crown last season, and Juventus have only boosted their squad since winning Serie A, so Milan will want to spend big themselves, to compete at the top and to quell disconsolate supporters.
Milan will have three big targets to fill the void left by Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack, and both Manchester City and Liverpool should brace themselves for bids.
Andy Carroll was praised by Silvio Berlusconi’s son after his Euro 2012 showings for England. It was against Zlatan’s Sweden that he buried a pinpoint header, and Milan could be replacing one pony-tailed striker with another.
Liverpool are believed to be open to allowing Carroll to leave, with Brendan Rodgers admitting he is willing to listen to offers for the striker, with many suggesting he does not fit into the new manager’s style of football.
Fulham and West Ham are the other strikers linked with signing Carroll, with the Hammers looking to do so on loan. A move to Milan would be far more glamourous, and Liverpool could push for a decent transfer fee for the attacker. Nothing like the £35 million they paid for him, but enough to cover any outlay on Clint Dempsey and then some.
If Milan’s interest in Carroll proves to be no more than talk, then their search is far more likelier to take them to Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City side.
The two clubs have good relations, with Mancini visiting the Italian runners-up at the start of the summer, which at the time fuelled speculation City were interested in moving for Thiago Silva.
Reports have suggested that Carlos Tevez is re-emerging as a target for the Italians, who now have the money to do the deal which finances prevented them from completing in January.
Tevez came back and helped City to win the Premier League, but it may be best for the club and player to shake hands and move on now before any future falling out occurs. You get the feeling if City get a big bid for the striker they will strongly consider it.
City really need to sell one of their strikers in order to sign another, having five top class strikers, plus John Guidetti, would present a real selection headache which likely won’t end well.
Who is the most wanted man in Italy right now? Well of course it is the country’s man of the moment, Mario Balotelli, himself an AC Milan fan.
His agent complicated any potential move when after his brace against Germany at Euro 2012 he stated his price tag would be £200 million. That is a fee not even PSG would pay. Balotelli is stated as being happy in Manchester despite a turbulent end to the season, but a public declaration from Milan they want to sign him could sway the striker’s mind.
We would bet on Milan making an enquiry for the maverick striker, but we don’t think City will allow him to go easily, if at all. It would all depend on the whim of Roberto Mancini, and his vision for the squad.
What about a fourth man in the mix? Edin Dzeko was a target for Milan before he signed with City, and is not expected to be a regular starter for the Premier League champions next season. If City see Tevez and Balotelli as more important to their plans, they may decide to move the Bosnian on to free up space, and Massimo Allegri’s side would happily take him at the right price.
There are of course other options for Milan, Van Persie, Llorente, Higuain, Hulk, are all top strikers believed to be available at the right price.
And Zlatan is not the only player they will be seeking to replace. Thiago Silva at centre-back was a huge part of the side, and Liverpool may find the club come calling to test the resolve of both Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. Only last month they were linked with goalkeeper Pepe Reina too.
Their windfall may inspire them to push through their interest. One thing we do know, and that is the climate of European football has suddenly changed, and the knock-on effects of PSG’s spending spree are likely to be felt around Europe in both the short-term and long-term.
image: © sdhansay
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