Milan's search for a central defender is heading into the closing days of the mercato without resolution, and Fabrizio Romano reports that the club's decision-makers are looking beyond Goncalo Inacio, the name linked most persistently all summer.
The defence has been the priority since the window opened, yet the summer has been one of names rather than movement. Inacio has sat at the top of the list for months, though the reports around him have rarely lined up, and a deal has never looked close enough to feel done.
According to Romano, the gap now appears to be between what Sergio Amorim wants and where the club is actually pointing its resources. The coach likes Inacio and would even welcome an additional centre-back, but the people running the window have their attention elsewhere.
"The news we're receiving suggests that AC Milan is completely focused on other objectives. Amorim might even be interested in an additional central defender, but the owners and those managing the transfer window at the moment, primarily Gerry Cardinale, are all focusing on other options," Romano said.
He also put a fresh name into the picture alongside the familiar one. "Several names have been floated in the last few hours: for one, Nottingham Forest's Morato. There's also been a lot of talk about Goncalo Inacio, a profile that Amorim also likes, but AC Milan currently has other ideas and objectives."
No fee, contract terms or timeline were attached to either target, leaving the shape of any deal unclear this close to deadline. What the update does confirm is a split in emphasis: the coach favours Inacio, the ownership is weighing alternatives like Morato.
From here, it is Cardinale and those steering the window who decide which of those "other ideas" turns into an actual signing before the deadline.