It’s no secret that AC Milan will sign a defender in January, and one name is sitting firmly in the lead but he’s not alone.

Since the summer, Milan have been obsessed with the idea of signing Goncalo Inacio. His name was constant through the mercato and on deadline day, the Rossoneri tried to pounce on a last-minute deal. However, it was unsuccessful, understandably.

Within days of the mercato shutting, the Rossoneri were linked with another move in the January window and these suggestions have not gone away in the months since. Other names have been suggested, but again, Inacio remains the priority.

An Inacio update

Speaking on his YouTube channel today, Fabrizio Romano offered an update on the club’s pursuit for Inacio ahead of the January mercato, via MilanNews.

“A defender will definitely arrive. He was supposed to arrive in the summer; he will arrive in January, so it’s no mystery. Milan also persistently sought him during the summer transfer window, an extra defender obviously in addition to Mario Gila, who was also an excellent investment by Milan, so the idea is to bring in at least another one.

“Milan reinstated Tomori a minute after the end of the summer transfer window out of necessity, but Milan’s idea is to take an extra defender. So a defender will definitely arrive.

“The name of Gonçalo Inácio must always be kept there because it is a name that has been in Milan’s mind since the first day of the summer transfer window; from when Ruben Amorim arrived until the last minute of the transfer window, he has always been in the thoughts anyway. There have been different attempts with different formulas.

“Milan had even considered, at a certain point at the end of August, a possible very expensive loan with an option to buy, so several solutions were considered that Sporting did not accept.

“Among other things, Sporting has changed its skin; Paolo Fonseca arrived on the bench, so we’ll see how much this will impact the dynamics of this operation. Clearly he’s not the only name, but Inacio is certainly a very welcome player; Milan has excellent relations with his agents, who are the same as Amorim.

“But I repeat, it doesn’t end here; there’s a list and Milan will make their choices.”

It’s a positive start that a defender will ‘definitely’ arrive; it’s just a case of whether they’re the right man now with Inacio not seeming like the definitive candidate.