Milan are reportedly edging closer to securing a deal for Genoa striker Krzysztof Piatek, which in turn could free Gonzalo Higuain to move to Chelsea.
Gennaro Gattuso hinted this past weekend that Higuain was seeking an exit in order to secure a reunion with Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, as noted by MilanNews.it, and so the focus has seemingly been on finding a replacement before letting him leave.
SEE MORE: Higuain out, Piatek in? Unhappy Milan star should go, but replacement crucial
It appears as though Milan have settled on Piatek to fill that void, with Sport Mediaset reporting that Leonardo has remained behind in Italy, while the squad are in Jeddah currently for the Supercoppa clash with Juventus on Wednesday.
It’s claimed that Genoa club president Enrico Preziosi is prepared to allow Piatek to leave this month, and is being tipped to accept a proposal from Milan which would see the Polish international join us on an initial loan deal until the end of the season with an obligation to buy for around €40m-€45m.
Real Madrid are specifically mentioned as a potential threat to us, but with Genoa eyeing Mario Balotelli to replace Piatek, the pieces may well be falling into place for the 23-year-old to join us this month and to lead the line as we pursue Champions League qualification.
Piatek has bagged 19 goals in 21 games so far this season, proving capable of scoring goals regularly for a Genoa side struggling in the bottom half of the table.
With his eye for goal, ability to drop deeper and link play up and offer a presence as a target man up front, it could be argued that he could be a better fit for this Milan team, albeit that’s not to suggest that he is on the same level as Higuain or has the track record of the Argentine at the highest level.
Nevertheless, things haven’t worked out for Higuain at Milan, and if reports are accurate in that he wants to leave, perhaps the club are better off not keeping unhappy players and addressing the problem as quickly as possible.