€1.3bn AC Milan set to make two HUGE statement signings
FT Desk
- Updated: 8 Jun 2022 13:49 BST
- 3 min read
AC Milan are set to announce the signings of Sven Botman and Renato Sanches from Lille.
American investment firm RedBird have agreed a €1.3 Bn takeover from current owners Elliott Management, with the deal expected to be completed by September.
Rossoneri fans won't have to wait that long to see on-field reinforcements, however, with reports suggesting that Botman and Sanches could join the recently crowned Serie A champions as soon as this week.
Who should sign Renato Sanches? 🤔pic.twitter.com/LO4G2vMPkr
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) March 8, 2022
Botman and Sanches were both part of the Lille side who stunned French football in pipping Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title in 2020/21, and although the club could only finish 10th last season, the stock of both players has continued to rise.
Botman in particular would represent a major coup, with newly rich Newcastle strongly linked with a move for the Dutch centre-back.
Asked about a move to Milan whilst on UEFA Nations League duty with the Netherlands, Botman was effusive.
"We are working on it," he said. "It's difficult for me to get away from things at the moment, I hear something about this situation almost every day. Things are progressing and I hope there will be more clarity before pre-season training starts."
What would Botman and Sanches bring to Milan?
Botman is a left-footed centre-back who stands at a strapping 6'5" tall. Lille's problems last season were in front of the opposition goal, with Botman and Co. only conceding 48 in 38 games at the other end.
The 22-year-old completed nearly 90 per cent of his passes in Ligue 1 whilst averaging two blocks and five clearances per game. He would likely compete with Alessio Romagnoli for the right to partner Fikayo Tomori at centre-back.
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Sanches is an all-action midfielder, meanwhile. A former Golden Boy winner who was Young Player of the Tournament when Portugal won Euro 2016, he has been rebuilding his career in France after ill-fated spells at Bayern Munich and Swansea.
Now 24, Sanches has improved drastically at Lille, and his physicality is now complemented by much better decision-making, with his seven progressive passes and four shot-creating actions putting him among the elite in those categories league-wide this season.
Able to operate across the midfield or even off a central striker, Sanches adds to an embarrassment of riches in the final third alongside the likes Portugal international teammate Rafael Leao and late bloomer Junior Messias.
