AC Milan: Milan Badelj
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Milan’s need for a dynamic central midfielder couldn’t possibly be more acute, with Montolivo putting in one torrid performance after the other. The club have pursued several targets only to be rebuffed for various reasons, and Fiorentina have already turned down their approach for Badelj without even wanting to quote a fee.
Badelj himself has made his intention of moving to the Rossoneri clear numerous times, with his agent recently saying that anything could happen until the window closes. The Croatian would bring a much-needed energy and dynamism to Milan’s midfield, something they urgently need to be competitive in Serie A.
Likelihood Rating – 5/10 (How many times has Galliani said Milan’s market is closed before pulling a rabbit out of the hat on deadline day?)
Napoli: Nikola Maksimovic
Lorenzo Tonelli, Napoli’s new center back signing of the summer is already shrouded under a mysterious injury and Raul Albiol’s best days are perhaps behind him. So even if the talented Kalidou Koulibaly stays, the feeling is he needs a higher quality center back to compete in the Champions League and Serie A.
It’s been clear to the Napoli hierarchy that Maksimovic is that player, but Torino have been an immensely difficult club to negotiate with. Successive offers have been refused, but Napoli will still hope to close the deal for the Serbian defender.
Likelihood Rating – 9/10 (Napoli will surely get this deal over the line, Chelsea will continue to monitor proceedings very closely, though.)
Barcelona: Alessandro Florenzi
Dani Alves was never going to be an easy player to replace, and even though the Catalans already have Aleix Vidal on their roster, it was Sergi Roberto who was reinvented as a right back for Barca’s first league match. Florenzi’s link to Barcelona is fairly hypothetical in nature, but it would be a fascinating fit on paper.
The Roman could play at right back, has great technique and gets up and down the pitch like no other player. He can also play in midfield, and anywhere across a front three, qualities that would make him an intriguing addition.
Likelihood Rating – 1/10 (Okay, honestly this is hard to see happening. But Barcelona’s director Ariedo Braida has been a big fan of the Roman and you never know.)
