Milan are working hard to agree a deal with Porto for Mehdi Taremi, believing the Iranian striker could be the last missing piece of the puzzle, writes Apollo Heyes.
The Rossoneri are had their sights set on the 31-year-old for a little while now and recently began accelerating in their talks. On Tuesday evening, reports suggested that the two clubs had agreed a deal worth around €15m plus add-ons and the final details are now being resolved.
Taremi will become Milan’s 11th signing of the summer transfer window, following players like Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Samuel Chukwueze.
Considering the slow nature of negotiations with Porto, many are starting to wonder why Milan are so intent on signing Taremi.
One reason is their obvious need for a striker. Stefano Pioli’s only reliable goalscorer front is the 36-year-old Olivier Giroud, who saw over 3200 minutes of action last term.
Whilst Milan did spend around €15m total for Noah Okafor, the 23-year-old has never been a particularly prolific centre forward, netting just 34 goals across 110 games for RB Salzburg. Internationally, he’s scored twice in 14 caps.
The same cannot be said about Taremi. The Iranian found the back of the net 31 times in 51 games last season, managing to provide 14 assists as well. Not only is the 31-year-old able to regularly make the difference in front of goal himself, he’s also able to provide strong setups for his teammates.
Another attractive aspect of a deal is the transfer market landscape. In recent years, reliable strikers have become something of a hot commodity, visible with deals like Manchester United’s €85m total acquisition of Rasmus Hojlund.
For Milan, the chance to sign a proven striker for less than €20m is a bargain, especially as they look to take back the Scudetto from Napoli after their disappointing fourth-place finish last season.
Words: @ApolloHeyes