Alen Halilovic reportedly headed to AC Milan from Hamburg

It looks like AC Milan have added another player in the summer transfer window, after reports came out today claiming that Milan have signed Croatia midfielder Alen Halilovic on a free transfer from Hamburger SV of the Bundesliga.

Milan confirmed the signings of both Pepe Reina and Ivan Strinic yesterday, although deals to land both had already been done for weeks, if not months. And now it looks like Milan will be adding some midfield depth to the team with the signing of Halilovic.

The former Barcelona midfielder leaves Hamburg after spending last season on loan at UD Las Palmas in La Liga, officially “returning” on loan to his parent club at the end of last month. Halilovic didn’t look like he was in the long term plans at Hamburg, after the club was relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time last season.

Unfortunately for Halilovic, it also appears that he wasn’t going to be in the long-term plans of Las Palmas as well, as they, too, were relegated last season, going down to the Segunda Division after spending a few seasons in La Liga.

The 22 year-old Halilovic spent two seasons on loan at Las Palmas, making 38 total appearances in two season. He’s spent most of his career in Spain, only making seven total appearances for Hamburg. In addition to spending time with Barcelona’s B team, Halilovic also spent the 2015-16 season with Sporting Gijón in La Liga, making 36 appearances with three goals and five assists. Before coming to Spain, Halilovic started out in Croatia at Dinamo Zagreb.

Milan CEO Marco Fassone hinted at the deal yesterday, stating in his Facebook “Q&A” with Milan supporters that Halilovic was a “great talent.”

Another free transfer coming in, even for a 22 year-old former Barcelona player, seems to indicate that perhaps the stories by Massimiliano Mirabelli about landing a “high-profile” striker aren’t going exactly to plan. The club have said that any FFP penalty and the ownership drama aren’t going to have an effect on the transfer window. However, if the actual signings, unlike the rumors, are anything to go by, the ownership drama and FFP are having a huge impact.

And while Halilovic might not be the huge signing that everyone at Milan is hoping for, he’s still only 22 years-old and if anyone can get good performances out of young players, it’s Gennaro Gattuso. Let’s hope that this transfer works out better than the huge transfer fees paid last summer for players that didn’t really work out.