Sankhoun Diawara is set to become Milan's next signing, and he has touched down in Italy to complete the formalities, according to MilanNews.
The interesting part of this one isn't the fee, it's the profile. Milan initially looked at Diawara as a project for Milan Futuro, the kind of low-cost bet on potential that fills out the B-team. That plan has changed. With Ruben Amorim building a back three, the squad needs a specialist to cover the left of the defence, and Diawara now steps into the first-team picture as the direct alternative to Strahinja Pavlović.
He arrives permanently from Troyes for €3m plus a sell-on percentage. Diawara played 14 times in Ligue 2 last season as Troyes won promotion back to France's top flight, and the France U19 international will now do his medical in two stages: the standard checks at the La Madonnina clinic, then fitness testing at the Ambrosiana Centre before putting pen to paper.
The comparison being drawn is with Pierre Kalulu, another young defender plucked cheaply from French football who ended up starting in a Scudetto-winning side. That's a flattering reference point, and a reminder that Milan's recruitment from Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 has a decent track record when the fee is this small.
At €3m for a left-footed centre-back who fits a system that specifically demands one, the maths is easy to like. Amorim wanted cover for Pavlović, and Milan have found it without denting the budget.