AC Milan have joined the race to sign Ajax star Noussair Mazraoui, according to Fabrizio Romano. Mazraoui has made his intentions of leaving the Dutch giants for free this coming summer clear, so clubs are now circling the player. Romano mentions that Milan will face competition from both Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund. Nothing is yet official, though, with a long way left to go in the race for Mazraoui’s signature.
AC Milan Join Race for Noussair Mazraoui
The Player and the Fit
Mazraoui has been an Ajax player for quite some time now. He featured for Jong Ajax, the club’s youth squad, from 2016 to 2018, before graduating to the senior team in 2018. He has been an integral part of the squad ever since. Mazraoui primarily plays as a right-back and featured in Ajax’s Cinderella-like run in the Champions League during the 2018/19 season.
There are a lot of aspects to Mazraoui’s game that attract teams, but one of the most notable is his attacking prowess. For instance, he has scored five goals and provided two assists from right-back in 18 Eredivisie matches to date. From a statistical point of view, Mazraoui is in the midst of his best season yet. Of course, this is ideal timing with his contract at Ajax finishing up this summer.
Milan are showing interest, but the player’s fit is interesting to consider. For starters, Milan already have their starting right back in Davide Calabria. He’s one of the top fullbacks in all of Italy and a Milan Primavera product, as well as the club’s vice-captain. The current backup option is Alessandro Florenzi. Being six years older than Mazraoui at 30, Florenzi is a steady and experienced veteran. His deal with Milan is not permanent, however, so Mazraoui is likely being monitored as an option should Milan not be able to purchase Florenzi from AS Roma this summer.
The Rossoneri are adamant about improving their defence this summer. Mazraoui is just another player they’re interested in.
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