AC Milan have reportedly shortlisted Brighton’s Diego Coppola as a target this month.
The defender has struggled for minutes since joining the Seagulls from Hellas Verona over the summer in a deal worth approximately £9.4million.
Coppola has made just eight appearances so far this season, being limited to two Premier League starts.
As a result, the Italian has even spoken about leaving the Amex Stadium outfit already in search of more game time elsewhere. The 22-year-old is afraid that his chances of featuring at this summer’s World Cup are diminishing because he is on the fringes of the Brighton first team.
Italy are yet to qualify for the competition, but they have play-off matches against Northern Ireland, and, if victorious, the winner of Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina in March.
A number of Serie A outfits have been alerted to Coppola’s situation, and TuttoSport reports that AC Milan are the latest side to register an interest in acquiring his services.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri is keen to bolster his ranks this month with the signing of at least one centre-back, and several candidates have come under consideration, including Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and Chelsea’s Axel Disasi.
The higher powers at Milan, including sporting director Igli Tare, are also ‘evaluating’ Coppola as an option. They are said to be aware that Fiorentina and Torino are similarly keen on the youngster and are considering approaches.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has spoken about how he is content with his current squad though, and therefore, it is unclear whether the German would greenlight Coppola’s exit at this stage.
The Seagulls also worked hard to strike a quickfire deal with Hellas Verona to sign their No. 42 over the summer, and thus, they may be reluctant to allow him to leave on a permanent deal just a matter of months after he touched down in England.