AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has confirmed that Milan have made an offer for Montpellier centre-back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.
The Montpellier captain played 32 matches in his side’s successful capture of the Ligue 1 title. Partnering either Hilton or Garry Bocaly, he helped ensure that the French side had the best defensive record in the league last season with just 34 goals conceded, seven less than big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.
Milan are in need of a quality centre-back as they recently sold Brazilian star Thiago Silva alongside Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a package deal to PSG. And Galliani confirmed that the Rossoneri have begun their search for a suitable replacement and had already submitted a bid for the France international in the past week.
“We have made an offer and we’ll travel to Montpellier shortly. We’ll see what happens. It’s a matter of money,” Galliani told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
It is believed that Milan will have to part with €7 million in order to sign the 23-year-old. The Serie A runner-ups urgently need to shore up their defence as even long-serving defender Alessandro Nesta left the club and moved to MLS side Montreal Impact over the summer.
Yanga-Mbiwa will likely partner compatriot Philippe Mexes or Italian Daniele Bonera in the centre of defence if he does make the switch to the Serie A in the coming week.