Milan are still searching for the left-footed attacking midfielder Ruben Amorim wants to play inverted behind the striker on the right, and the shortlist runs from familiar faces to opportunistic gambles.
The mercato looks stuck for now, but the profile Amorim requested a month ago remains the same, and so does the problem of matching it to a player Milan can realistically afford. The names in circulation cover a wide range of prices, formulas and risk.
The one Amorim knows best is Amad Diallo, the Manchester United winger he worked with during his spell at Old Trafford. Diallo improved noticeably under Amorim, playing both behind the striker and as a wing-back, and a reunion was floated last month. The 24-year-old also knows Serie A from his Atalanta days and has 16 goals and 16 assists in 97 United appearances. A move looks unlikely, though, not on fit but on value: with Champions League football returning for United, the cost would be steep without a major sale on their side.
Manchester City's Savinho has also been linked. The Brazilian is expected to move this summer given the competition ahead of him, and he suits what Amorim wants, but reports put his wages at €6m net and his price at €50m. Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham are the favourites, and Milan seem unlikely to enter that race unless a loan opens up should no permanent sale happen.
The gamble on the list is Can Uzun, the 20-year-old expected to leave Eintracht Frankfurt before 2026-27. German reports have him on Milan's radar after 10 goals and 6 assists, and while he was once tied to moves worth around €80m, he could now go for roughly half that. The catch: he has been flagged for attitude issues and a poor injury record, and he is right-footed, albeit strong with both feet.
The loan option is Real Madrid's Franco Mastantuono, whom the Spanish side want to place at a European club to keep developing, with the teenager reportedly keen on Italy. The problem is the formula, as Madrid have insisted on a dry loan with no buy option. Given Milan's multi-year plan under Amorim, developing him for a single season only to face the same search next summer holds little appeal. Something closer to the Brahim Díaz or Álex Jiménez model, with an option or a later buy-back, could make it a late-window solution.
The domestic route runs through a rival. Matteo Moretto reported that Roma's Matías Soulé has been offered to Milan, with Gian Piero Gasperini open to a sale after Santiago Castro's arrival and Paulo Dybala's renewal. Soulé is valued at around €40m, and on paper he ticks the most boxes: left-footed, technically strong, an eye for goal and willing to work off the ball. The 23-year-old has 23 goals and 13 assists across 111 Serie A games.
A nostalgic idea also surfaced this weekend, with Corriere della Sera reporting that the club could consider bringing back Brahim Díaz. Real Madrid's depth up front could push the 27-year-old down the order, and he already suits Amorim's system from his previous loan, having contributed 22 goals and 30 assists in 163 games for Real. As before, the sticking point would be the formula and whether Madrid let him leave permanently.
From the Premier League, Moretto named Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri as the latest addition to Milan's list of left-footed attackers. The 19-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Marseille (2 goals in 9 games) and has 4 goals in 24 Premier League appearances, so he would be a bet on potential rather than a finished product, and not a cheap one.
There is also the case for signing no one. On paper Milan already have Christian Pulisic, Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leão for the role, plus Samuel Chukwueze and Alexis Saelemaekers, and youngsters Alphadjo Cissé and Lorenzo Ossola who have reportedly caught Amorim's eye. With Leão's future still open and several players able to cover multiple positions, the club may not need to spend heavily here at all.
If nothing lands, Milan could relax the left-footed requirement and shift Pulisic across again, which brings in ambidextrous or right-footed names like Nottingham Forest's Dan Ndoye, impressive at Bologna before struggling in England, or Sassuolo's Armand Laurienté, who hit double figures for goals last season.
From here, the shape of Milan's attack rests on one decision Amorim has yet to make: whether the answer is already inside the squad or worth a chunk of the budget.