At the same time, the news that Milan was interested in introducing Pastore was confirmed by Palermo. In an interview with Radio Sport, Vice President of Palermo, William Micciché, admitted that Milan indeed had intentions to acquire Pastore. He stated: "Braida has a very high opinion of Pastore and even hoped to get him several years ago, but we have not yet engaged in talks with Milan. I believe he will remain with Palermo at least for the next season, and I am very confident about this." Micciché's statement indicates that Palermo's willingness to sell Pastore is not strong, and competition from Manchester United and Roma would further increase the difficulty. According to reports at the end of last year, Italian media pointed out that nine major clubs, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, were interested in acquiring Pastore. From recent news, Manchester United and Roma showed more sincerity. According to a report by Sky Sports in early March, Manchester United was willing to meet Palermo's asking price of 40 million euros, and there were even rumors of a preliminary four-year contract signed with Pastore. And in early April, the Roman Sports Daily reported that newly restructured Roma also viewed Pastore as their top transfer target, with an initial offer reaching 30 million euros.
Ganso suffered a thigh muscle injury and will be out for at least six weeks, casting doubt on the prospect of Milan's top summer transfer choice arriving in Serie A. The club's transfer department has no choice but to seek new attacking midfield targets, with Pastore, who has performed well over the past two seasons for Palermo, becoming Braida's latest target, a fact confirmed by the Palermo management.
However, besides Braida's close attention, Milan legend Maldini Sr. also strongly recommended that Milan buy Pastore, believing he could form a positive complementary partnership with Bojan in the attacking midfield position without occupying a non-EU spot. It appears that the Rossoneri might launch a strong bid for the Argentine talent at the end of the season, and Pastore could be the big gift promised by Berlusconi.
According to Football Market, the Milan transfer department led by Braida has indeed shifted its focus to Pastore, but it also acknowledges the extremely high difficulty in convincing Palermo to part with the Argentine talent. This is due to the intense competition from multiple prestigious clubs in England and Italy, and Palermo has set a relatively high asking price of 40 million euros for Pastore.