Milan Moved for Italy Star, Manchester United Keen

Milan kicked the tires on several options to find a high-profile striker last summer, including Mateo Retegui, who indeed left Atalanta, but to head to Al-Qadsiah. Instead, the Rossoneri settled for Christopher Nkunku, who isn’t a pure no.9.

According to Fabrizio Romano (via Calciomercato), director Igli Tare inquired multiple times about the Azzurri star before he headed to Saudi Arabia. However, his offers were much lower than the fee he switched sides for, €67M, later on.

Milan tendered €35/40M for Retegui, with some bonuses, but Atalanta slammed the door shut. La Dea didn’t actually want to cash in on their marksman last summer, but Al-Qadsiah fully met their demands. The center-forward eventually asked to be let go, considering the sums at stake.

The attacker will likely be back in Europe, and perhaps even in Serie A, at some point, but it’d be stunning if it happened in January already. Per TuttoSport, Manchester United have laid eyes on him and could lodge a €70M bid, especially if they change their coach and offload some of their current offensive weapons. The 26-year-old has scored three goals in six matches since transferring and has continued to produce for Italy.

Our Take on Milan and Retegui

Their budget was larger than they let on early in the summer, but it appears that Atalanta just didn’t want to do business with fellow Serie A rivals. He would have obviously been an elite signing, although his fit in Massimiliano Allegri’s scheme is a little dubious. Ideally, the coach would like a bigger and more well-rounded striker, but a great nose for the goal masks most flaws. Rafael Leao finally showed up, but the reservations about his role stay.