AC Milan are targeting Manchester City midfielder Fernando as one potential midfield signing with just two weeks of the transfer window left according to Gianluca Di Marzio. The Brazilian has been with City for two years, could depart before the end of the month, potentially enticed by more football on offer in Italy.
A number of players are expected to leave The Etihad as the transfer window draws to a close, with deals for Eliaquim Mangala and Wilfried Bony on the table after they struggled to fit in and failed to earn a place in Pep’s plans for a revamped City this season. Fernando could join them, despite having had a better campaign in his second year with The Blues than his first.
Fernando would make sense as a signing for Milan, with the holding midfielder already possessing a Portuguese passport, allowing him regular status in Serie A despite being from South America. The Italian giants are also looking into the signing of the much younger Amadou Diawara of Bologna, and could plump for him instead. Aged just 19 (compared to Fernando’s 29), Diawara also has experience of Serie A already, having played 34 times for Bologna last year in what was his first year at that level, meaning he could be a better signing in the short- and long-term for Milan.
Fernando has played 49 league games since he arrived in England from Porto alongside Mangala in the summer of 2014, with another 27 in all competitions. He played a part in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley last year, starting the match against Liverpool but coming off before the penalty shootout dramatically won by Willy Caballero. He also started both legs of last season’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, showing his increasing importance.
However, he remained an unused substitute as City beat Sunderland 2-1 in the Premier League opener last Saturday, while had a ten-minute cameo at the end of The Blues’ 5-0 thrashing of Steaua Bucuresti in Romania on Tuesday. Fabian Delph was preferred to him on Saturday, suggesting Fernando could be allowed to leave by the end of the window.
