CM: Maldini and Moncada admirers of Lille winger who had Milan trial in 2012 | OneFootball

AC Milan could complete yet more business with Lille as the management are admirers of winger Edon Zhegrova, a report claims.

The Zhegrova links started when journalist Arlind Sadiku wrote on his Facebook page that Milan could be welcoming its first ever Kosovan player ahead of the 2023-24 season.

After doing some searching, we deduced that it could be the Lille forward because of the agreement between Milan and the Ligue 1 club over Rafael Leao’s fine, which could see the Rossoneri owed €18m by Les Dogues or perhaps a player of equivalent amount.

Calciomercato.com confirm that Paolo Maldini, Ricky Massara and Geoffrey Moncada are admirers of the 24-year-old, who has 4 goals and 5 assists this season between Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.

Despite the non-astronomical numbers, many believe Zhegrova is destined to play in a great team and it is no coincidence that at home he is considered ‘the Messi of Kosovo’.

Zhegrova had his first contact with Milan in 2012 at a trial organised by the Rossoneri, which he learned about from his coach at the last minute and passed brilliantly as the best among over 200 children.

Moving to Italy, not only for bureaucratic reasons, was not possible, but for the first time Zhegrova understood that being a professional footballer could have become his job and the rest is history.

He has had spells in Belgium with Standard Liège and Saint-Truiden, one in Switzerland at Basel and then in January 2022 he moved to Lille for €7m, as a replacement for Jonathan Ikoné.

He is a left-footed winger, very strong in one-on-one situations, and perfect for a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. He can play on either flank, but prefers to start from the right and cut in, using his dribble.

As revealed by his former coach at Lille – Gourvennec – he tends to become ‘estranged’ in the non-possession phase and doesn’t pay attention to personal and departmental movements on the field.

Signing him now could be a bargain, as Lille value him between €10-15m. Lyon are keen having already wanted him at the end of 2021 and Napoli are too, so now we must see if Milan move.

More Stories / The Match

Tuttosport: Juventus and Milan clash 20 years after Manchester – the world has changed since

26 May 2023, 13:13

CorSport: Probable XIs for Juventus vs. Milan – the choices of Allegri and Pioli

26 May 2023, 11:53

Sky: Vlahovic in doubt for Juventus-Milan due to tendon problem

25 May 2023, 16:28