GdS: ‘Gimenez for the derby’ – Milan hoping to close deal in time for Inter game | OneFootball

AC Milan are hoping to achieve a breakthrough in the next 48 hours in order to have Santiago Gimenez available for the derby, a report claims.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) reports this morning, the Klassieker between Ajax and Feyenoord will take place on Sunday, the biggest game in Dutch football. However, it will also be the day of Milan vs. Inter, and Gimenez still doesn’t know which fixture he will play in yet.

Gimenez has expressed his will, translated by agent Rafaela Pimenta to the Feyenoord management, that after two and a half years with Feyenoord the Mexican striker aim for a new experience. Against Ajax he has already scored five goals in five games, so De Klassieker now offers few thrills.

The calendar offers a unique possibility: experiencing his first match as a Milan player in the derby, in front of a packed out San Siro, and that is something he does not want to let go of.

Timing and evaluation

The timeline is pre-defined: tomorrow evening will be the Champions League match between Milan and Dinamo Zagreb, then on either Thursday or Friday the definitive response is expected from the Eredivisie side to the Rossoneri’s latest offer.

Then, the derby is on Sunday evening and the transfer window closes on Monday. The CEO Giorgio Furlani will not leave for Croatia because too much work on the table and the need to stay close to the headquarters.

Feyenoord still have 48 hours to reflect, but they want Gimenez for the Lille game to close the first phase of the UCL, especially after his brace against Bayern Munich showed that he can do it at the highest level.

The Rotterdam side know that with €30m they would a substantial sum to look for a replacement who can still change their fortunes domestically, given they are well off the pace of the league-leaders PSV Eindhoven.

Milan’s desire

Gimenez has demonstrated his abilities in the Eredivisie (45 goals in 73 games) while in the Champions League he has shown that he can score regularly too, with goals in eight appearances. Milan’s strong pressure also comes as a result of these numbers.

The qualities are all there, but they have yet to be tested in one of the main European leagues like Serie A. Zlatan Ibrahimovic himself, on the day of Kyle Walker’s presentation, confirmed the interest.

“Everyone knows he’s strong. He has great talent and potential,” he said on the 23-year-old. He is seen as a futuristic striker, who can help Milan in the present and in the seasons to come. Gimenez and his agent, are trying to overcome Feyenoord’s strong resistance in the meantime.

The dialogues in the next few days could lead to a revising of the positions, working on bonuses or other constraints to be attached to the contract. Today there is no agreement and it is not even close, but Sergio Conceicao for his part is hoping that he has a new striker to work with soon.