Relying on Ibra upfront and Nesta at the back, these two key players are pillars for the current AC Milan team. Now, as AC Milan searches for a replacement for Nesta between Real Madrid's central defender Garay and Kazan Rubin's central defender Boghetti, finding a substitute for Ibra has become urgent under the circumstances of Inzaghi's injury. Judging from the absence rate alone, apart from missing the first round of the league due to transfer procedures, Ibra participated in all 16 league matches and 6 Champions League group stage games starting from the second round. Previously, when Ibra played for Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Juventus, there were times when he experienced goal droughts due to fatigue. During the 2009-10 season at Barcelona, he failed to score in three consecutive instances of four or more games without goals; during the 2008-09 season at Inter Milan, he went six games without scoring; during the 2007-08 season, twice he went five games without scoring; and during the 2006-07 season at Inter Milan, he once went seven games without scoring. If Ibra is used indiscriminately as an omnipotent deity, the favorable situation of AC Milan’s lead in the first half of the season may be squandered when the Swedish player falls into a low point due to fatigue.
Additionally, the possibility of Kevin Constant, the fast midfielder coveted by both AC Milan and Inter Milan, transferring to a major club in January has basically been dashed. The French league started earlier, and Constant played for both Châteauroux in the French second division and Chievo in Serie A after the start of the new season. According to FIFA's new regulations, professional players cannot play for three clubs in one season, which means that whichever of the Milanese clubs wants Constant will have to wait until after June 1st. In other words, Constant can only be considered as a target for the next transfer window.
Roma's French attacker Menez is also a favored transfer target for AC Milan. The Frenchman has grown rapidly in the past two seasons. However, considering the transfer fee and the summer's top choice, Balotelli, Menez can only take a back seat temporarily, although tactically speaking, Milan indeed needs a stable mid-career attacking midfielder to replace Seedorf.
In the first half of the Serie A season, the Swedish center forward Ibrahimovic, who joined AC Milan on loan for 5 million euros, scored 9 goals and provided 8 assists in 16 games. Calculating directly, 17 of AC Milan's goals are credited to this former Inter Milan striker, and out of the 29 goals AC Milan scored in 17 rounds of the league, about 60% came directly from Ibra's contributions. Similarly in European competitions, AC Milan scored 7 goals in 6 Champions League group stage matches, with 4 created by Ibra, accounting for over 50%.
For the selection of a substitute forward, AC Milan's transfer strategy prioritizes free agents or players available on loan, meaning no expenditure apart from wages. According to "Lentamente" and "Gazzetta dello Sport," the latest name added to the club's transfer list is the former Italian international striker Toni, currently playing for Genoa. At 33 years old, Toni joined Genoa on a free transfer this season and has scored 3 goals and provided 3 assists in 15 league matches, making him a suitable acquisition candidate for Milan. However, Genoa signed Toni to a three-year contract, and he is now their absolute starter, so it won't be easy for AC Milan to sign Toni cheaply or for free. "TuttoMercatoWeb" reported that AC Milan plans to use the transfer of Bojan Krkic and Sokratis in the summer to continue negotiations for Toni's deal. Since Sokratis hasn't performed well at Milan, they plan to sell him at a discount or loan him back to Genoa in exchange for Toni's loan signing, as AC Milan only needs sufficient firepower on the front line for the next half-season across two competitions. The latest news from "La Gazzetta dello Sport" on the 29th also confirmed that Galliani has begun negotiating with Genoa president Preziosi regarding Toni's loan signing, while Balotelli will be the target for next summer's transfer market, operating as AC Milan's biggest move in the summer transfer window.