Andrej Kostic is one of the quieter pieces of business Milan did over the summer, a teenage striker who has already started catching the eye at Milanello after joining the Futuro project.
The reason he slipped under the radar is timing. The move was announced back in March following a drawn-out saga with Partizan Belgrade, but he could not formally sign until the window opened, and he stayed in Serbia through the end of the season. For a club juggling two young centre-forwards, though, this is worth paying attention to. Milan already have Francesco Camarda to plan around, and how they manage a second promising No.9 will say a lot about whether either actually breaks through.
Kostic was born in January 2007 in Podgorica and came through the academy at Budućnost, his hometown club. His senior debut came in March 2024 off the bench in a 6-0 win over Arsenal Tivat, and by the 2024-25 season he was helping Podgorica to the league title with four goals in 20 appearances while still 16 for most of the campaign. That was enough to draw attention abroad.
Partizan won the race in June 2025, handing him a five-year deal and the No.9 shirt. He scored on his debut in July, an injury-time winner away at Železničar Pančevo, and followed it with a brace off the bench in a 7-2 rout of Napredak Kruševac. He finished his first season in Serbia with 12 goals across all competitions, a strong return for a teenager. He holds dual Montenegrin and Serbian citizenship but has leaned towards Montenegro, already earning four senior caps under Mirko Vucinic.
On the pitch he profiles as a classic penalty-box striker. His scouting report, put together by Rohit Rajeev, highlights a soft, cushioned first touch that lets him keep the ball close under pressure, and a habit of using the outside of his boot to shift the ball into new lanes while carrying it. He plays with minimal touches, looking to move play forward quickly rather than dwell on it, and his left foot is reliable enough that defenders cannot simply shepherd him onto one side.
His movement is the standout trait. When teams press man-to-man, he drops short to give a stranded teammate an outlet. When they sit, he positions himself in the channel between full-back and centre-back to pin the line and open space between the lines. Constant scanning lets him time runs in behind, and he arrives in the box with the instincts of a natural finisher, striking mostly with an instep drive but capable of a quick toe-punt when there is no time to set. His mentality showed against Hibernian, where he scored with virtually the last kick to force extra time.
The numbers back up the profile. Kostic averages 2.93 shots on target per 90 with a 0.43 xG per 90, so he gets into promising positions regularly. His 16.83 accurate passes and 13.64 passes received per 90 confirm he lives on the last shoulder rather than dropping into build-up. He presses too, with 2.35 recoveries in the opposition half per 90.
The gaps are physical and positional. He can be eased off the ball by stronger defenders, which limits his hold-up play, and his 11.76 losses in his own half per 90 point to work needed on retention. His 1.88 successful dribbles per 90 tell you carrying past players is not his game. None of that is unusual for an 18-year-old, and upper-body strength is the kind of thing a year in an Italian gym tends to fix.
This is the familiar Milan pattern: sign a teenager with a real record and good raw material, then bet the club can sand down the rough edges. With Kostic the question is less about talent than about pathway, because Camarda is competing for the same minutes and the same long-term slot. Where he lines up come September, Futuro or something closer to the first team, will be the first real clue as to how Milan see him.