Thin Bench, Big Risk: Milan’s Defence Is As-KIM For Solutions

Milan Can’t Ignore the Centre-Back Emergency.

Milan’s attacking options don’t distract Casa Milan’s transfer team from Massimiliano Allegri’s squad’s main priority, which is to sign another defender who can play alongside the three regular starters. Without Gabbia (on his way to come back) and with De Winter in his place, the only centre-back was the young Odogu, who made the most of the comfortable 3-0 lead to make his Serie A debut. In more complicated situations and matches, something better would be needed. Or at least someone more prepared. So, sporting director Igli Tare is on the lookout for the ideal profile, but he’s well aware that with no departures, there won’t be much room for manoeuvre. Right now it’s easier to think about a loan. Maybe a player who already knows Italy and has good international experience.

Can Kim Min-jae Be Brought Back to Serie A via Milan

During the summer, there was talk of the club trying to sign Kim, the Korean Bayern Munich player who also won Serie A in 2022-23 with Napoli. It didn’t work out in the end, mostly because of the money: the centre-back earns a fortune in Germany. Has the situation changed at all recently? Kim hasn’t played a lot recently (only nine games in this Bundesliga season). He certainly didn’t impress the German fans, who in a recent Bild poll ranked him fifth in the 2025 flop rankings. Bayern could also do without him, but to make him a viable option for Milan, they would also have to contribute to his salary. It’s not an easy situation. From the Korean’s point of view, a transfer would be seen as a chance to relaunch himself in a tournament where he has already shown he can make a difference.

If it’s not Kim-Milan, who is it going to be?

A much more accessible name is Axel Disasi, who’s currently not in the Chelsea squad. There’s been some chatter about him in Via Aldo Rossi recently, but the Frenchman, born in 1998, hasn’t played in a while. Plus, he’s pretty unfamiliar with Serie A. Basically, it’d be a bit of a gamble. Niklas Süle, a giant with an enviable track record whose contract with Borussia Dortmund expires in June, is also not proving to be a great value for money at the moment. Luiz Felipe is an old favourite of Tare’s. The Albanian executive brought him to Lazio in 2017. Today, the Brazilian defender is at Rayo Vallecano, recovering from a nagging injury. The good things about him are that he’s cheap, really cheap (his contract ends in six months) and he’s played for years in Italy in a three-man defence.