Paris Saint-Germain are on the verge of pulling off a sensational double swoop for AC Milan duo Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani has been planning to offload the pair for months in order to wipe out a significant chunk of the club’s mounting debts, as well as remove two hefty salaries from the wage bill.
Ibrahimovic earns a reported 12 million euros a year, while Silva is paid a yearly sum of six million euros plus bonuses at San Siro.
PSG will reportedly pay 60 million euros for the pair.
Galliani’s plan was initially undermined by the Berlusconi family, with club owner Silvio Berlusconi blocking the proposed sale of Silva to PSG for 46 million euros at the last minute before subsequently handing the Brazilian a lucrative new contract.
However, Galliani has been given the green light to cash in on Milan’s two most valuable assets, meaning it will now be up to the players involved to decide if they want to move to the French capital.
Silva claimed over the weekend that he was ‘glad’ that his proposed switch to the Parc des Princes collapsed, revealing that he never wanted to leave San Siro, but that the deal has now been resurrected should not be an issue for the Brazil international.
Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, has expressed an interest in relocating to Paris and the Swede’s representative, Mino Raiola, is also reportedly keen to secure the 30-year-old striker one last big pay day.
As for Milan, they accept that filling the void left by Silva could be close to impossible, but they are confident of finding an adequate replacement for Ibrahimovic.
Indeed, not only are Milan considering reigniting their interest in Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, they are also, as Goal.com revealed earlier this week, courting the Argentine’s club-mate Edin Dzeko.
Liverpool forward Andy Carroll and Siena striker Mattia Destro are also under consideration, with the latter representing a particularly attractive proposition for Galliani, whose goal is to build a new Milan, younger and cheaper, but no less successful.
