GdS: ‘Double nine for Milan’ – Lukaku and Abraham could arrive instead of Zirkzee

In partnership with

SempreMilan

·28 giugno 2024

GdS: ‘Double nine for Milan’ – Lukaku and Abraham could arrive instead of Zirkzee

AC Milan are now thinking of signing two strikers this summer instead of just Joshua Zirkzee, a report claims, and both of them played at AS Roma last season.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Milan management are doing some calculations and have realised that Romelu Lukaku and Tammy Abraham together will cost as much as Joshua Zirkzee in transfer fees.

OneFootball Video

The Belgian and the Englishman are currently traveling on parallel paths in the race to become Milan’s next striker, but that doesn’t mean that the two paths won’t end up crossing and flowing in the same direction.

Transfer fees

The puzzle begins from Zirkzee, because the commissions demanded by his agent raise the cost of the operation to €55m from the €40m which is his release clause. Lukaku, who returned to Chelsea after a season on loan at Roma, also has a similar clause (€43m), but other formulas are sought.

The intention of Geoffrey Moncada and co. is to try for a permanent deal around €25-30m or wait for the last part of the mercato to try open up a loan possibility. In the meantime, candidates like Abraham have come into play, a centre-forward that Paulo Fonseca likes.

Abraham – also formerly of Chelsea – has a contract until 2026 and can leave the capital this summer. The Giallorossi paid €40m for him and want €30m to sell, but his residual cost on the balance sheet is around €16m, so he could go for €20-25m.

Salaries

What would break the balance in the event of signing two No.9s, if anything, would be the salaries. Investing in Zirkzee, with whom there is an agreement for a salary of €4m+ net per year, would allow Milan to contain costs and continue to build within their parameters.

Going for Lukaku or Abraham (or both) would increase the costs, because the former Inter striker earns €7.5m net per season plus bonuses, while for the Englishman is on €5m plus €1m bonuses.

In both cases they would reach the top of the ranking of the highest paid in the Rossoneri squad, currently led by Leao at €6.5m, and there would be the risk of upsetting the balance especially with important renewal talks to come.

Co-existence

In addition to the numbers, logically there are the technical evaluations too. Milan has returned to greatness with two strikers in their 30s – first Zlatan Ibrahimovic, then Olivier Giroud – and finds itself at a crossroads.

Is it better to focus on a young player like Zirkzee (23 years old) or on two experienced 9s like the 31-year-old Lukaku and the almost-27-year-old Abraham (returning from a long-term knee injury)?

Ibra himself recently dictated the line: “Next year’s team will be even younger and Fonseca is the right coach to work with young people.” Goals, however, are the currency where age cannot matter.