AC Milan hunt budget backups for Kjaer

AC Milan‘s exit from Europe has led the club to change its plans regarding the signing of a new centre-back, as the Rossoneri look for a bargain Simon Kjaer replacement.

The Danish defender has been sidelined by injury and will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery, but the Rossoneri’s Champions League failure has forced them to hunt cheaper alternatives due to lack of transfer fees and lost income.

The club will miss out to the tune of €20 million, according to Tuttosport, meaning they’ll turn their attention to the likes of Venezia’s Mattia Caldara and Luiz Felipe of Lazio who are 27 and 24 years old respectively.

Both players could be landed on free transfers, although Milan are said to face competition from rivals Inter if they are to go after Felipe.

The club are said to have originally been interested in Lille’s Sven Botman before they were dumped out of the Champions League by Liverpool on Tuesday night. But the French club’s €30 million valuation of the player is now well out of Milan’s budget.