Milan are on the verge of signing Diego Moreira, with a medical booked for tomorrow or Wednesday and the deal expected to close at around €50m, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The move arrived without warning. Milan had been scouting the wing-back market, but the priority this summer was widely understood to be an attacking midfielder, which makes Moreira an unexpected name to jump to the front of the queue.
The groundwork was done at ownership level. According to MilanNews, the agreement was put together directly between Gerry Cardinale and Jorge Mendes, the agent who was always likely to be a central figure in Milan's dealings this window.
What appeals to Ruben Amorim is the flexibility Moreira brings. He can operate on either flank and also cover the attacking midfield roles, giving the head coach cover across several positions from a single signing.
With the medical now scheduled, the deal is close to being fully wrapped up. It is another piece of business driven from the top by Cardinale, and one that has clearly pleased Amorim given how little warning there was.
The outlay pushes Milan's summer spending beyond €150m, and with no sales registered to balance it, this has been a heavy window on the incomings side alone.
From here, the medical is the last box to tick before Moreira becomes an Amorim player.