Not only Hojlund and Vlahovic: Roma’s striker is also on the Rossoneri’s list, who do not consider him unsellable and appreciate some Milan players

Artem Dovbyk could become a hot name for Milan in the final weeks of the transfer window. Milan appreciate the player and the conditions are right: he has the technical characteristics to become a reinforcement for Allegri, there is a budget to make a competitive offer, and Roma are willing to open talks for a transfer. Negotiations have not yet begun, but the name is on the list. Plan A for Milan clearly remains Rasmus Hojlund, so it’s just a matter of beating the competition (Napoli…) and finding a formula that suits everyone (a loan with an option to buy at a reasonable price). Vlahovic remains a player much liked by Allegri. However, surprises cannot be ruled out in this final phase, and the technical appreciation for Dovbyk is matched by Roma’s willingness to sell him – provided they find a replacement on the market – and their appreciation for some Milan players (Musah and Bartesaghi, for example). An agreement could be possible.

Dovbyk arrived at Roma from Girona a year ago for a fee of over $30 million, which could have risen to $38 million with bonuses. How did his first season in Italy go? It had its ups and downs. In Serie A, he scored 12 goals, half of the 24 that made him famous in 2023-24, his best season for Michel’s Girona. Curiously, he scored the same number of goals a year earlier in the Ukrainian league with Dnipro. Dovbyk added two goals in the Europa League and three in the Coppa Italia with Roma, but at the start of a new season, he is not indispensable. In these first few weeks of work, Gasperini has alternated him with Evan Ferguson, the Irish striker who arrived from Brighton and who Gasp (even in training) likes a lot. In short, Dovbyk scored at Cannes, but he is certainly not undisputed at Roma.

Milan, the timing for the number 9—  Milan certainly wants to move quickly and wants a number 9 soon, if possible before the league debut on Saturday evening against Cremonese. The profile is clear, as Igli Tare made explicit at the start of the transfer window: they need a real center forward, a man in the box who can guarantee goals and help the team move up the field when necessary. It will not always be possible to play with Leao and Pulisic as an atypical attacking duo. Dovbyk has those characteristics; he is not a complete player, but he knows how to score and is familiar with the Italian league. He is 28 years old—halfway between the young players and the over-30 strikers chosen by Milan in recent years—and would be a different profile from Rasmus Hojlund, the big favorite in the race for the number 9 shirt. Hojlund is 22 and is not in Manchester United’s plans, who are thinking of selling him, either permanently or on loan, after two disappointing seasons. Milan, United, and Hojlund have not yet found a price and a formula that suits everyone. So surprises are possible, with one certainty: a lot will become clear this week.