AC Milan are already closing in on their Joshua Zirkzee alternative

AC Milan were pursuing Joshua Zirkzee, one of the big breakout stars of the previous Serie A season, with vigor until they backed out of the deal and it all collapsed.

It seems like Zirkzee preferred a move abroad to the Premier League anyway, and now the Dutch international is closing in on a transfer to Manchester United, where he will pair up with the 2022/23 Serie A breakout at striker in Rasmus Hojlund.

Milan didn’t really push all that hard for Zirkzee, and they probably wanted to sign a more established goal-scorer than Zirkzee, who only found the back of the net 11 times for Bologna last season.

Obviously, Zirkzee brings a lot more than goals to the table, which is something the Rossoneri value at striker, as Olivier Giroud had 8 assists last season.

Still, Giroud also had 15 goals, and Milan want to sign someone who can provide a similar level of production for the times when Rafael Leao goes a bit cold in front of goal.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave some coy comments about how Zirkzee isn’t the top option at striker for Milan and that the Rossoneri already have their preferred candidate in mind.

It appears that this preferred striker option is Spanish veteran Alvaro Morata, with Milan evidently accelerating for the Atletico Madrid star ever since the Zirkzee to Man United rumors heated up.

Now, as Zlatan alluded, Morata appears to be the only striker transfer target in Milan’s mind, with the club readying a four-year contract offer for the 31-year-old.

Morata has impressed again at Euro 2024 for Spain, improving his standing in the record books, as only Cristiano Ronaldo and Michel Platini have found the back of the net more frequently in the history of European Championships.

Last season, the former Real Madrid and Juventus standout, who has been to Champions League Finals, scored exactly 15 goals for a less attacking side in Los Rojiblancos.

That bodes well for the kind of player Milan envision getting after Giroud, and Morata has shown no signs of aging or slowing down, meaning the 31-year-old could play well into his 30s like the Frenchman has done.

Morata is one of the most well-rounded strikers in world football, with the likes of Cristiano and Antoine Griezmann thriving by working alongside him. Carlos Tevez did, too, at Juventus during his best years.

So Christian Pulisic, Samuel Chukwueze, Leao, and the rest of the Milan winger contingent would be big fans of Morata bringing his experience, chance-creation, work ethic, and scoring to the table as a likely cheaper option than Zirkzee.