AC Milan are showing serious interest in Reda Belahyane, one of the standout surprises of the season so far with Hellas Verona. The 20-year-old midfielder, born in Aubervilliers and a Moroccan international with French citizenship, was discovered by Sean Sogliano, Verona’s sporting director. His performances have caught the attention of Geoffrey Moncada, who had been tracking Belahyane since his time at Nice, where the young talent developed in the youth academy.
Calciomercato report that Belahyane is seen as an ideal partner for the tireless Youssouf Fofana and the returning Ismael Bennacer, whose future is still uncertain. After limited appearances in the first six months under Marco Baroni, Belahyane has flourished under new coach Paolo Zanetti, starting regularly and recording 11 appearances with two assists so far this season.
Milan have reportedly prioritized Belahyane over their previous target, Morten Frendrup of Genoa, partly due to the more affordable price tag. Verona are asking for 8-10 million euros for a January transfer, significantly less than the 15-20 million euros Genoa demands for Frendrup.
Recent developments suggest that Milan’s management have already initiated contact with DW Sports Management, the agency representing Belahyane. The Rossoneri are keen to accelerate negotiations with both the player’s representatives and Verona, aiming to complete the signing as quickly as possible to have Belahyane available for coach Fonseca at the start of January.
An additional advantage in pursuing Belahyane is his age. Being under 22, Milan would not need to remove a player from their Serie A and Champions League registration lists to accommodate him, unlike if they were to sign an older player like Frendrup.
