Despite Milan’s agreement with UEFA to withdraw from the Europa League to ease their FFP issues in the more immediate future, speculation is still throwing up possible exits.
As noted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the issue remains that the Rossoneri will likely have to sell in order to raise funds to bring in reinforcements, and that has led to two names in particular being put forward.
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Much has been said about Gianluigi Donnarumma already, while the other option that is seemingly up for sacrifice is Patrick Cutrone, another youngster who has come through the ranks at Milan and appears to have a bright future ahead of him.
As per GdS, he is said to have a value of around €25m, while he could be included in a deal with Fiorentina with talks over Jordan Veretout continuing.
It’s an exit that doesn’t seem to make a great deal of sense, as Cutrone has played a key role to date and a strong argument can be made that he has a very bright future ahead of him.
The 21-year-old has scored 27 goals and provided seven assists in 90 appearances for the senior side, and those have come despite being second choice to the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Krzysztof Piatek in recent times.
That followed his incredible goalscoring feats for the Primavera side, while aside from the figures, the youngster’s commitment, determination and passion every time he steps onto the pitch gives the team a lift and provides energy and tenacity in the final third to set the tempo for those behind him.
Naturally, as with any player, he’ll be desperate for a more prominent role and unfortunately for him, he’s had to be patient and take his chances when given to him.
However, particularly with Marco Giampaolo widely expected to adopt a 4-3-1-2 system, that will inevitably lead to more playing time for him, as currently it will be between him, Piatek and Andre Silva for those two spots up front unless new signings are brought in.
While Milan will have the chance to focus on Serie A and the Coppa Italia next season, that will mean that they don’t necessarily have to have the deepest squad for next year.
Despite that though, Cutrone offers a different dynamic in the final third. Of course he has areas in which he must improve, as does any player his age, as he will have to get better in terms of his all-round game in hold-up play, linking play up and being a bigger presence up front.
What you can’t buy so easily though is an instinct to score goals, something that the Italian international was seemingly born with as his movement in the box and finishing at times has been superb and has shown how important he can be for us moving forward.
It’s rare to find such a potent goalscorer with a raw ability to find the back of the net, and given we’ve arguably made mistakes in the past letting our youngsters leave, namely the likes of Bryan Cristante and Manuel Locatelli in recent years, we shouldn’t risk making the same one here as Cutrone could have a bigger impact than all of them.
MilanNews.it note, via Alfredo Pedulla, that Ivan Strinic, Diego Laxalt, Lucas Biglia, Fabio Borini and Cutrone are all names that have come up in talks with Fiorentina over a swap deal for Veretout, but whether it’s a player exchange move or an exit to raise funds, Cutrone is another who should surely be kept this summer and be given a chance to show his worth under Giampaolo.