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Midfield Issues: Banega, Witsel Among Main Targets In Milan's Mercato

Milan's issues at midfield must be resolved as soon as possible. The Rossoneri are targeting Eder Banega and Axel Witsel in the January window.

Sevilla midfielder Éver Banega.
Sevilla midfielder Éver Banega.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Milan's midfield has underperformed for a long time despite Siniša Mihajlović's efforts to find the right setup for the central duo and the right wing. It's time for some moves in the market in order to fix these problems.

Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani met recently and discussed strategy for the upcoming mercato, setting the names of who will leave among the players in the current roster and who could replace them. They'd already finalized their first major move when they decided to sign Kevin-Prince Boateng, as reported weeks ago, but there remains much work for them.

Firstly, Zio Fester will need to find new teams for Antonio Nocerino, Nigel De Jong and maybe even Andrea Poli. They spent most of their time on the bench in the first part of the season, and have asked to leave the team in order to find some playing time. Nocerino and De Jong is likely to be sold to an English or Italian club, while Poli might be loaned out, depending on Mihajlović's decision about his role at Milan. Suso will not be wearing Rossonero for the second half of the season, as Galliani has reached an agreement with Genoa regarding a loan deal to expire in June.

Milan will need to add to its roster in order to replace the dearly departed, and that's why they're targeting two great central midfielders: Éver Banega and Axel Witsel. They would fit perfectly in the 4-men line that Mihajlović has been using for a month either as playmakers and box-to-box midfielders, so they might be the answer to many of Milan's problems in that position. However, Milanisti will have to settle for just one of the two coincident with some other minor moves, since the price of these two players is too high for Milan's modest budget in this mercato. As reported by many sources, Galliani is working with both Sevilla and Zenit St. Petersburg in order to find the best solution possible for Milan. Milanisti should not expect any fireworks in January, but they can still hope for a single major move to improve the team.