Will Milan end their mercato with Nikola Kalinic?

Picking out a striker has been quite a bit of a head-scratcher for Milan, with a plethora of names hitting the headlines in turn from Alvaro Morata or Andrea Belotti, to Aubameyang. The former eventually found his way to Chelsea, while the other two are set to stay at their current clubs.

Now it looks like the Milan’s headhunt for a forward is nearing its end, with the Rossoneri settling on (or for) Nikola Kalinic, who has been effectively one of the first Milan considered signing to fill their gap in attack. The agreement between the club and the player has been pretty much in place for quite a while, only being derailed by a lack of consensus with Fiorentina over his price tag. The deal was then sidetracked, as Milan took their time exploring their options, lured by the prospect of landing a high-profile name, carrying more weight. The obstructiveness of Torino and obstinacy of Dortmund, who wouldn’t budge on their asking price, eventually saw Milan backtracking to Kalinic.

Various news have now sprung up saying that a deal is as good as done, and Football Italia reports the two clubs could shake hands on it as soon as tomorrow.

Fiorentina wouldn’t hear of lowering their 30 Mil. asking price either, from which Milan shrank away in the first place- but they’re now willing to get there with various performance bonuses. After Milan’s sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli was spotted at Torino’s cup game a few days ago, fans were hoping for a last big onslaught on that front, but now it looks like Kalinic is within touching distance of being a Milan player.

The advanced age and coming from a club that doesn’t exactly number among the European powerhouses, don’t make a favorite out of the Croatian among the Milan fans, but those who’ve seen him play know that an enviable technique and intelligence in front of goal work for him, and he may be exactly what Milan needs right now, being the kind of striker that not only scores, but brings out the best in his partners in attack. And besides, this is a deal that still leaves substantial money in Milan’s pocket, so we wouldn’t be too off base expecting another reinforcement.

As with all things, only time will tell .