Malick Thiaw has officially joined Milan on a permanent deal from Schalke 04.
The 21-year-old underwent his medical examinations in the morning and the Serie A champions have now confirmed his acquisition.
“AC Milan is delighted to announce that Malick Thiaw has joined the Club on a permanent basis from FC Schalke 04. The German defender has signed a deal with the Rossoneri lasting until 30 June 2027,” the Rossoneri said in a statement.
“Thiaw, who was born in Düsseldorf on 8 August 2001, honed his footballing talents in the youth systems of Fortuna Düsseldorf, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Schalke. He made his professional debut with Die Königsblauen in 2020 and went on to make 61 appearances for the club from Gelsenkirchen, scoring three goals.
“He has made eight appearances and scored two goals with Germany U21, and won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2021.”
The U21 Germany international joins the Rossoneri on a permanent €6m deal plus add-ons. He will bolster Stefano Pioli’s options in defence.
Matteo Gabbia is expected to remain at the club despite the signing of Thiaw, as the Rossoneri want to have enough options in defence, especially in the first part of the season with a packed fixture list.
Simon Kjaer is expected to start over the Italian defender against Sassuolo tomorrow but is still not fully fit to play the entire game.
Pioli will need to rotate his squad in many games, especially in the first part of the campaign, so Thiaw will become Milan’s fifth centre-back for 2022-23.
The 21-year-old played 61 games with Schalke, scoring three goals. He has two caps to his name with the Germany U21 squad.