Football League World
·28 July 2024
AC Milan closing in on transfer swoop for Sheffield United player

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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·28 July 2024
The Serie A giants are reportedly moving closer on a deal for Vini Souza.
Serie A giants AC Milan are reportedly closing in on a deal for Sheffield United midfielder Vini Souza.
That's according to journalist Alan Nixon via Patreon on Sunday morning, in what will be a blow to the Blades ahead of the 2024/25 Championship season getting underway in less than two weeks.
Nixon's report also states that Premier League side Fulham have been pushing to complete a deal for the Brazilian, but that it's Milan who are now working the hardest behind the scenes to finalise a deal for the 25-year-old.
Souza is under contract at Bramall Lane until 2027, but it has been the expectation that he will leave the club this summer after just one season.
Alan Nixon via Patreon has revealed that last season's runners-up in Serie A, AC Milan, are moving ever closer to securing a deal for Souza.
Nixon reports that Milan have encountered a problem with their 'foreign' quotas for domestic league action, and they hope that with Souza holding a Portuguese passport, he will be able to qualify as a European player.
Milan were credited with an interest in the former Lommel midfielder in a report from Nixon back in mid-July, in which he also revealed that Fulham had seen a £15 million bid rejected for Souza by the Blades.
It would appear that these two sides have maintained their interest in the former Brazilian youth international throughout the transfer window, but now it looks as though the Serie A side have moved into pole position.
It has been suggested that the Championship outfit are holding out for a £30 million-plus transfer fee for Souza this summer, with the player reportedly keen to seek an exit route out of Bramall Lane following the club's relegation to the second tier.
With Souza contracted to the club for three more years, the Blades do hold a lot of the cards when it comes to sitting down at the negotiating table, but it remains to be seen whether Milan, or any club for that matter, would be comfortable parting with that sort of money for him.
Boosted by the arrival of Callum O'Hare from Coventry City, Chris Wilder has already been able to add to the spine of his side this summer.
Whilst in Gustavo Hamer, the Blades have a central midfielder that has proven himself as a leading Championship player from his time with the Sky Blues.
The club may be harbouring fears of losing the Dutchman before the transfer window slams shut, however, as it was recently revealed that the 27-year-old now has a release clause of €20 million (approx £16.8 million) following their relegation from the Premier League.
Even if both Souza and Hamer were to leave the club this summer, the club are in the possession of a talented stable of young central midfield players that could blossom as a result of being handed extended opportunities.
20-year-old Ollie Arblaster played 12 times in the Premier League during the second half of last season after returning from a loan stint with Port Vale in League One, and was one of Wilder's best performers during that time.
Tunisian international Anis Ben Slimane could come on leaps and bounds for having a full Championship season as a regular starter, whilst Andre Brooks' confident performances were a breath of fresh air for many Blades supporters last term, although he has been playing out wide under Wilder in pre-season.
Therefore, whilst losing Souza would be a blow to the club, particularly after only seeing through 12 months of his four-year contract, Wilder does have talented players to turn towards, and could well add to that group before the window closes too.