THE MIDFIELDER HAS SPENT TWO YEARS AT THE ROSSONERI FOLLOWING HIS MOVE FROM CHELSEA, BUT HE WAS LIMITED TO 19 SERIE A GAMES LAST SEASON DUE TO INJURY. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH GAZZETTA DELLO SPORT, IGLI TARE REMARKED THAT HE HAS NO DOUBTS ABOUT LOFTUS-CHEEK’S QUALITY, BUT STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THE PLAYER FIT THROUGHOUT NEXT SEASON.
EARLIER THIS MONTH, MANCHESTER CITY COMPLETED THE SIGNING OF TIJJANI REIJNDERS, AND TARE FEELS LOFTUS-CHEEK — WHO OPERATES IN A SIMILAR ROLE — CAN BE FUNDAMENTAL IN FILLING THE VOID LEFT BEHIND.
MEANWHILE, TARE IS KEEN TO USE THE FUNDS FROM THE SALE OF REIJNDERS TO SIGN A NEW CENTRAL MIDFIELDER AND A LEFT-BACK, WITH THE IMPENDING DEPARTURE OF THEO HERNANDEZ ALSO IN CONSIDERATION.
SPEAKING ABOUT LOFTUS-CHEEK, TARE SAID: “HOW TO REPLACE REIJNDERS? MILAN HAS LOFTUS-CHEEK, ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE MIDFIELDERS IN EUROPE. HE CAN BE FUNDAMENTAL FOR THE SEASON. THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE PLAYER, BUT WE MUST BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE INJURY ISSUE.”
TARE ALSO COMMENTED ON MILAN’S TRANSFER STRATEGY, STATING: “THE POSITION WE CARE ABOUT MOST IS NUMBER 6, THE MIDFIELDER IN FRONT OF THE DEFENSE, THEN WE WILL SORT OUT THE REST. THE MIDFIELD IS THE DEPARTMENT WHERE WE WILL CHANGE THE MOST — WE WANT TO INCREASE THE QUALITY OF PLAY. WE WILL INTERVENE ON THE LEFT-BACK AND RIGHT-BACK POSITIONS. THE FULL-BACKS MUST BE YOUNG, FUNCTIONAL TO THE GAME SYSTEM, AND HAVE STRONG POTENTIAL.”
WHAT NEXT FOR LOFTUS-CHEEK AND MILAN?
TARE WANTS TO PROVIDE ITALIAN COACH MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE SQUAD AHEAD OF THE 2025–26 SEASON, FOLLOWING MILAN’S DISAPPOINTING EIGHTH-PLACE FINISH LAST CAMPAIGN. THE SALES OF REIJNDERS AND HERNANDEZ ARE EXPECTED TO FUND MOVES FOR TARGETS SUCH AS CLUB BRUGGE MIDFIELDER ARDON JASHARI.
