AC Milan misfit Keisuke Honda is reportedly set to leave the club this summer with his contract set to expire having failed to convince Vincenzo Montella.
The 30-year-old has played just 95 minutes of Serie A football all season, and having fallen down the pecking order there doesn’t seem to be a future for him at the San Siro.
In turn, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he will move on when his contract expires this summer, and it will be a disappointment to see him leave without making a significant impact, particularly given Milan pursued him for so long and had such high hopes.
Nevertheless, he has remained professional for the most part and has shown glimpses of his quality, but it appears as though Montella will move in a different direction with Seattle Sounders touted as a possible destination for the Japanese international.
Meanwhile, in terms of players coming in, Nikola Kalinic has emerged as an option for the Rossoneri as Calciomercato report that he is potentially going to be considered as a replacement for Carlos Bacca.
The Croatian international undoubtedly fits Montella’s system better and so would be an astute signing, although his €50m release clause and the fact that Bacca is difficult to shift could combine to make this a difficult deal to make.
Nevertheless, there seems to be interest and time will tell if it develops into something more serious with Milan needing a consistent source of goals from their leading striker and an individual better suited to linking up play and feeding off the service of two wide players.
Another player tipped to move to Milan is Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac, as per Calciomercato, with the club’s sporting director Christian Heidel confirming that they’re considering their options in the event that the Bosnian international doesn’t opt to extend his contract before this summer.
Follow Sumeet on Twitter @SP_Calcio for all the latest Milan talk and transfer news.