Milan’s visa-free strategy has been upgraded again, will a Barcelona star join?

AC Milan's sporting director Igli Tare, after successfully letting Luka Modric waive his visa, is continuing to implement his shrewd transfer strategy and focusing on Barcelona center back Andreas Christensen. The Danish international's contract expires in June next year, and he is very likely to become another low-cost and high-quality introduction for the Rossoneri to strengthen their defense.

Strategic background: continuation and deepening of the visa-free model

This season, AC Milan’s management has built an elite lineup structure based on the actual situation of the non-European competition schedule. But the recent wave of injuries has exposed the problem of insufficient lineup depth. This puts coach Massimiliano Allegri into a difficult situation. Under such circumstances, the club has shifted its focus on recruiting players to the next season, and Christensen has become the focus of attention.

Milan has always adhered to the visa-free strategy, because the case of Modric has successfully proved this. It can obtain top experienced players without spending transfer fees. This is very consistent with the "income reinvestment" strategy advocated by Redbird Capital. In terms of defense, there is no full-time central defender except Gabbia, and there is a tactical gap. Therefore, if Christensen can join, it will have a significant reinforcing effect.

Player Analysis: Technical Characteristics and Tactical Adaptability

Christensen, this season, slowly found his rhythm in the game again in Barcelona's lineup. His technical characteristics are very consistent with Milan's tactical system. This central defender has experience in many leagues such as the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga. He has previously won the Champions League with Chelsea. At the same time, he also helped Barcelona win the La Liga championship. He has a particularly strong ability to withstand pressure in large games.

At the tactical level, Christensen fully meets the requirements of Allegri's three-center-back system. He has extremely strong aerial confrontation ability. During his Serie A career, he averaged more than 11 clearances per game, and he also has excellent backcourt organization and passing skills. This season, his passing success rate is as high as 96%, and his long pass success rate is 67%. It can significantly improve the relatively single situation of Milan's defense in terms of the way they play the ball. In addition, when he was at Barcelona, ​​through training in the three-center-back system, he had the ability to assist defense in the wing ribs, and he was also able to quickly adapt and integrate into Milan's current defensive structure.

Judging from the data, Christensen has only played 9 times for Barcelona this season, 3 of which were starts, and played a total of 353 minutes. But his statistics are outstanding, with a success rate of 76% in aerial duels, which shows that he has always played an important role in the game. With these characteristics, he is very suitable to make up for Milan's lack of defensive experience

Risk considerations and competitive situation

However, this possible deal is not without worries. Christensen suffered an Achilles tendon injury last season and was unable to compete for almost the entire season. Even if his condition returns this season, his physical endurance is still an aspect that Barcelona must consider when deciding whether to renew his contract. For the often-injured Milan, staying healthy and continuing to do so needs to be judged carefully.

In addition, Christensen now earns about 8 million euros per year, which may put some pressure on Milan's salary system. In terms of transfer competition, several British clubs have included him in their recruitment target list, so Milan has to start contacting him from January to seize the opportunity before other clubs.

Christensen can join without a visa, which reflects an important strategic deployment implemented by Milan in the transformation stage. Because he has comprehensive technical ability, rich experience in top-level competitions and high tactical adaptability, he is regarded as the primary candidate to improve the strength of the back line

Whether or not a cooperation can be reached depends on the club's ability to judge the player's physical condition, his ability to negotiate salary, and how quickly he responds to competition. If it can be promoted smoothly, this will become another typical example of "low investment reinforcement" for the Rossoneri.