Recently, AC Milan suffered a major setback on the road to midfield reinforcements. The Rossoneri had high hopes for Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez, who is set to become a free agent in the summer, but saw the defensive midfielder come within striking distance of Serie A giants Napoli.
With Rade Krunic moving to Fenerbahce in the winter, Milan have left a void in midfield that needs to be filled. Despite Stefano Pioli's success in integrating Yassin Adley into the squad and forming a consistent midfield combination with Bennacer and Reynders, the management are actively seeking a new signing that can provide more tactical options, particularly an attacking midfielder who can play a key role up front, in the hope of finding a versatile player like Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
However, Milan's target is Guido Rodriguez, the 1994-born Argentina international who could have become a shining star at the San Siro with his experience and excellent midfield interception. According to authoritative expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Milan was quite moved by the imminent expiration of Rodriguez's contract, and once launched a close attention and operation.
However, things did not turn out as Milan had hoped. Napoli president De Laurentiis has shown great efficiency and determination, according to the famous "Tyc Sport" journalist César Luis Melo, Napoli has had in-depth talks with the Rodriguez team and is close to reaching an agreement, which means that the midfielder is almost locked in to Napoli and is only one step away from a formal signing.
Although Real Betis are trying to make a last-ditch effort to renew Rodriguez's contract, it seems unlikely that this will happen at the moment. In this fierce battle for midfield, AC Milan can only regretfully accept the reality of passing by their desired target, while Napoli have once again demonstrated their shrewdness and strength in the transfer market with their keen sense of smell and decisive operation.
In the face of this competitive failure in the transfer market, how should AC Milan adjust its recruitment strategy? Which midfielders do you think are more suitable to fill the void in the Rossoneri squad in the next transfer window? At the same time, what impact will Napoli's successful introduction of Rodriguez have on the Serie A landscape?