According to italian media calciomercato, Guardiola intends to introduce AC Milan striker Leo, and the value of the player is about 50 million. Milan are looking to reinforce the front line, with Liverpool Origi being their target.
After the summer window sent Aguero away, City did not add a new striker accordingly, and in some games they paid the price for not being able to seize the opportunity. Guardiola is ready to fix the mistake and AC Milan striker Leo is one of the options. In the summer of 2019, Leo joined Milan from Lille for 29.5 million, and he is a very important player for the Rossoneri. This season, Leo has performed well, scoring four goals in 15 league games so he has secured his main position in the front line and attracted the attention of Manchester City.
Leo is only 22 years old, the potential is unlimited, AC Milan will not let people go easily. Guardiola is ready to bring in Leo in the winter window and City is willing to pay a $50 million transfer fee. However, AC Milan has no intention of selling Leo, and the winter window is basically impossible. Instead, AC Milan have prepared a new contract for Leo to expire in 2026 and plan to double his annual salary to $4 million from the current $2 million, plus bonuses. The two sides have been negotiating for several weeks and no agreement has yet been reached, but Milan are very confident that they can keep the rising star.
While not selling Leo, AC Milan are also ready to strengthen the configuration of the front. Milan's existing striker players are not in the minority, but they are still very dependent on Ibrahimovic, who is already 40 years old. Currently, Ibrahimovic has scored seven goals, being Milan's number one scorer, while another veteran, Olivier Giroud, has also scored four goals. Although these two are not old, relying on these two veterans who are on the verge of retirement is not a long-term solution after all.
According to the report, AC Milan took a fancy to Liverpool's Origi and intended to shoot in the winter window. Origi has been at Liverpool for 7 years and has been a substitute, but has scored a number of key goals, being called "Koi" by Reds fans. In the summer window, Origi received a lot of offers, and Liverpool asked him for 20 million at that time, and there was no next home to take over. Previously, at the San Siro Stadium, Liverpool beat AC Milan with Origi's winning goal, which also made Milan more interested in the former.
Liverpool are willing to transfer Origi for a price of still $20 million, and Milan are considering paying that price. Milan's main contenders are rivals Oflanta in the same league, and the two teams are currently also contenders for the Serie A title. This season, Atalanta's main striker Muriel has slipped in form, scoring only two goals in 10 league games, and they are interested in bringing in Origi to enhance their offensive firepower and hit the Serie A title in the second half of the league.