Milan to Sign De Winter as Thiaw Replacement

 

AC Milan are reportedly close to securing the signature of Koni De Winter as their new defender, replacing the outgoing Malick Thiaw. The Rossoneri are moving quickly to sign De Winter from Genoa, with negotiations happening as soon as they agree terms for Thiaw's sale to Newcastle United.

 

Milan Pick De Winter as Thiaw's Replacement 

 Massimiliano Allegri's men saw themselves picking up a 4-1 thumping against Chelsea in their last preseason friendly ahead of the new season. One of the main reasons for that heavy defeat, aside from playing with 10 men after just 19 minutes of play, was also because of the lack of a senior center-back starting with Malick Thiaw set to join Newcastle United. 

Having played several players on Saturday against Leeds, Allegri's initial plan was to play with a different lineup in defence versus Chelsea. Young defender, Andrea Coubis, had a nightmare after scoring an own goal and got himself sent off in less than 20 minutes of play. 

Judging from that game, they certainly need to make a quick move for a new defender; that's why grabbing De Winter was a priority. Being a young defender in Serie A, the Genoa player has already had enough experience in the league. 

Why Signing De Winter a Reasonable Option for Milan 

Although the media and some fans might push Milan to go for the currently hyped youngsters, such as Giovanni Leoni from Parma or Fiorentina's Pietro Comuzzo, De Winter has more experience already. The 22-year-old has played 68 games so far in Serie A, while Comuzzo played 37 matches, and Leoni only played 17 times in the top-flight football. 

Aside from experience, of course, the asking prices that both Parma and Fiorentina asked are much higher than Milan's current valuation of both Leoni and Comuzzo. Seeing how they spent so much time with Ardon Jashari's signing, the Rossoneri doesn't want to take too much time to give Max Allegri an important reinforcement at the back. 

Moreover, De Winter is also someone whom Allegri knows quite well during the tactician's time at Juventus. So, the coach at least already has basic knowledge of the player's strengths and weaknesses ahead of the new season. 

According to rumours, Milan are set to sign De Winter for a package worth 20 million euros from Genoa. There's already a verbal agreement between both clubs, with some small details needing sorting out before the Belgian international gets the clearance to do his medical and eventually contract signing.