Why Milan could have the edge over Inter in pursuit of Bologna star

Inter and AC Milan are set to do battle for Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee but the Rossoneri may have the upper hand on the Serie A champions.

As has been reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, there are two main reasons as to why Milan could beat Inter to the signing of Zirkzee, despite the Nerazzurri being the new Serie A champions as of Monday evening.

Perhaps the most important thing is that Milan can offer Zirkzee an immediate starting role in the team. With Olivier Giroud leaving for LAFC, Luka Jovic will be the only recognised striker at the club and Zirkzee would certainly start ahead of the Serbian.

This is something Inter cannot necessarily offer given their front two are Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram, players who do not deserve to be dropped or replaced.

The benefit for Milan is a financial one. They currently have Alexis Saelemaekers on loan at Bologna and he has been playing well. There is a clear desire for the Belgian to stay at Bologna and he is valued at around €10m, so he would certainly form part of the negotiation.

Zirkzee would likely cost around €60m but Milan can knock a chunk off of that price by including Saelemaekers.