Milan, Fofana’s summer has been split between transfer interest and the wish to cement himself under Amorim too: talks are taking place between the parties.

Fofana’s journey at AC Milan has been a genuine rollercoaster so far. In his first season, he did well, with the peak arriving in the Supercoppa Italiana final win over Inter, while in the most recent season the Frenchman was unable to deliver top-level performances with any consistency. After a difficult ending, the coaching and executive staff agreed to open the door to a sale in this transfer window. Youssouf is aware that his standing at the club has dropped and is trying to answer that on the pitch.

Role issue

AC Milan’s thinking on Fofana is more about an opportunity, because in terms of his qualities, the Frenchman’s game could grow within Amorim’s ideas. And this is exactly the point the former Monaco man wants to make, starting with the role itself: the No. 19 wants to play as the holding midfielder in a two-man midfield, which is his natural role and also his comfort zone. Since arriving at AC Milan, Fofana has almost never played in his preferred position, instead being used as a midfielder who pushes forward, apart from a spell under Fonseca.

Talks with Amorim

At this stage of pre-season, Amorim has made it his objective to know his players thoroughly, both on the pitch and on a personal level. A series of one-to-one meetings has helped shape that plan: Gila has clearly been the player he has spoken to the most, but in recent days the Portuguese coach also held a long conversation with Fofana. Among the many subjects discussed, the French midfielder repeated that his priority remains staying at AC Milan to show that he can be an important part of the team.

Two requests

At the moment, the market around Fofana is quiet, with only two clubs in the picture. Crystal Palace are strongly interested and have made the first contacts, but Everton have also shown a certain level of interest. Nothing especially concrete, but they remain two possibilities. AC Milan value him at around €15-20 million and will soon decide whether to work towards a sale or turn their attention to other midfielders (Ricci the likely one, editor's note).