Deal imminent 

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AC Milan are on the verge of signing Mexican forward  Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord Rotterdam. According to various media reports, Feyenoord will receive €35m plus a percentage of any future deal. The 23-year-old Mexican is the most valuable player of the Rotterdam club with a market value of €37m.

The Serie A side has been working on a deal for some time but lacked the finances to make a transfer possible. The financial situation, however, improved last week when the club struck a deal with Galatasaray for top earner Álvaro Morata. Morata is set to join Galatasaray on loan until the end of the season with an obligation to buy worth between €8-10m. Morata joined Milan last summer and managed six goals and two assists in 25 games across all competitions.

With the Spaniard set to leave, the door is now open for Gimenez to join the club. Once complete, Milan will have two of the five most valuable players playing for Concacaf nations under contract. While US men’s national team star  Christian Pulisic is ranked second behind Alphonso Davies, Gimenez ranks fifth (overview). Although rivals when playing with their respective national teams, Milan hope that the two can now create a dangerous partnership on the club level.

Gimenez to Milan – What can the Mexican add to the Serie A giants?

Why do AC Milan want Gimenez? The easy answer is more consistent scoring. While Morata has struggled for goals, Milan have slipped outside of the Champions League spots. By the time of writing, Milan were seventh in the league and just ninth in goalscoring with 32 goals. Upgrading the attack, therefore, was one of the main objectives of the winter transfer window.

Gimenez, who also holds an Italian passport, has been once again prolific in the Netherlands this season. The striker has 16 goals in 19 games across all competitions. Most importantly, Gimenez has shown his class in the Champions League, scoring five goals in five games. Feyenoord signed Gimenez for €6m from Cruz Azul in 2022 and the Mexican has since scored 65 goals in 105 games across all competitions.