Youssouf Fofana is eager to join AC Milan

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana is eager to join AC Milan. He has already agreed to a three-year contract with the Rossoneri, and Milan is willing to pay Monaco’s asking price of €25 million.

La Gazzetta states that besides increasing their goal tally (a task assigned to the newly introduced center forward), Milan’s goal for the new season is to reduce the number of goals conceded. These are the two main focuses for the Rossoneri in the summer transfer market. The attack will be entrusted to the No. 9 player, while the defense will also involve midfield players. Mike Maignan is currently with Didier Deschamps’ French team for the European Championship, along with his national teammate Youssouf Fofana.

At both the French team and Monaco, Fofana has fully utilized his physical advantages in defense, breaking up opponents' attacks and helping his team transition from defense to offense. However, this does not mean Fofana will not participate in the attack; last season, he also scored four goals in Ligue 1.

For this reason, Milan is willing to spend €25 million on Youssouf Fofana, a price that is already on the table. This is an offer Milan has considered, and it is the final price Monaco is most likely to accept. Even before joining the national team, Fofana announced he would no longer play for Monaco. After the European Championship ends, negotiations may resume to finalize the agreement between the clubs and secure the player’s new contract. The 25-year-old Fofana’s old contract will expire in 2025, and he is willing to sign a new three-year contract with an option.

Milan has placed Fofana at the top of their transfer list. Although the list is long, for Fofana, Milan is more important than any other club, even with the attraction of Arsenal and the Premier League. Milan and Serie A have won Fofana's favor, which will facilitate the negotiations.

Investing in Fofana and the space reserved for him requires evaluating other players, meaning Bennacer will lose his position in the midfield. Bennacer plans to play in Saudi Arabia in a few years, but Milan's recruitment plan will prompt him to consider this earlier. The lucrative offers from the Saudi league will also allow the club to recoup the investment in Fofana. Moreover, Milan can save €4 million in salary, or rather, this amount can be allocated to new signings. Fofana's arrival will put Bennacer and Adli on the verge of leaving, and the club will listen to offers for both players.

Fofana’s arrival will usher in a new midfield for Milan, completely different from previous seasons. The midfield lineup will be entirely changed compared to the 2021-22 season. They have already said goodbye to Kessié, Tonali, and Krunić; now it is Bennacer's turn. The new midfield is also ambitious, with Fofana, Reijnders, and Loftus-Cheek expected to be the main players, characterized by their strong physicality and ability to push forward.

As mentioned, Milan's urgent task is to strengthen the defense, which was too fragile last year. By the end of the season, they had conceded 69 goals—a significant number, with 49 goals in Serie A, 8 in the Champions League, 9 in the Europa League, and 3 in the Coppa Italia.

Last season, Fofana ended with a victory against Lille, coached by Milan’s new manager Paulo Fonseca, and they will quickly establish new connections. Fofana was signed by Strasbourg B in 2017, and after a year in the B team, he began making appearances for the first team in the following season. He has been with Monaco since 2020 and was called up to the French national team in 2022. In this European Championship, he has made two appearances, totaling 10 minutes, against Austria and Poland. Before the European Championship, he said: "I discussed my future with Monaco's management, and we have agreed on the next step." Milan has moved one step closer to signing Fofana.