Recent reports claim that Italian club AC Milan is currently negotiating a loan deal for right-back Serge Aurier from English club Tottenham Hotspur. AC Milan is also looking forward to an option to buy the player in the summer.
Aurier was acquired by Tottenham in 2017 from Paris Saint-Germain for £22 million. Despite being hailed as an up-and-coming star, Aurier failed to find a place in Tottenham's defensive back. The Ivory Coast international only started in just six games for Hotspurs last season. As for his whole season performance, he only appeared in 41 matches. Despite being on his top form every appearance, his whole season has been severely hampered by recurring injuries.
Many believed that Aurier will be filling the position left by Kieron Tripper, who was transfer to Athletico Madrid this summer. Unfortunately, the spot was eventually handed to Kyle Walker-Peters. This means that Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino only considers Aurier as a secondary option for the right-back position. With Tottenham's right-back position clearly handed to Walker-Peters, Aurier will most probably be looking to sit on the bench for much of the next season if he insists on staying with the club. However, if he decides to accept the loan offer of AC Milan, he will most likely be one of the two options for that right-back position.
Despite his rather dismal performance last season, AC Milan is still positive into acquiring the defensive talent of the 26-year-old. According to a report from Soccerlink, the Italian club is negotiating for a loan deal with Tottenham, and will eventually sign Aurier after the season ends.
As of this writing, AC Milan's right-back duties are being handled by Davide Calabria and Andrea Conti. However, there are a number of rumors claiming that Conti is looking for a way out of San Siro, and might shop his talents somewhere else. As for Conti, Werder Bremen and Barma appear to be interested in signing him. However, there are also rumors claiming that Conti will hold on to his spot in Milan.
If Milan wants to acquire Aurier, the club should do so before September 2 which is the date when the transfer window for Italian league Serie A closes. If AC Milan wants to persuade Aurier to sign the loan deal, they should offer him a good package that includes a significant amount of playing time. As of this writing, only AC Milan has declared interest in Aurier.
