'He’s one of our objectives' - Milan's Bakayoko pursuit confirmed by Maldini

AC Milan will refrain from making radical changes in the team but do have plans for the transfer market, informs Paolo Maldini.

AC Milan invested heavily in recruitment last summer, bringing in the likes of Franck Kessie, Theo Hernandez, Rafael Leao, Ismael Bennacer, Rade Krunic, Leo Duarte for a combined cost of a little over €100 million.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was then added to the squad in the winter transfer window, though he came for free.

Their expenditure has not yielded the expected return yet, but it did mark a positive transition in the team last season.

Milan ended the 2019/20 season with a 12-match unbeaten streak across all competitions and earned a Europa League qualification opportunity with sixth-place Serie A finish.

The Rossoneri are once again linked with a number of high-profile players, including Real Madrid duo Luka Jovic and Brahim Diaz, Tottenham’s Serge Aurier, Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic, and Chelsea’s Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Technical director Paolo Maldini confirms interest in just one of those players while insisting that Milan will not make big-money signings this summer.

“A year ago we laid the foundations for an idea of the AC Milan of the future. This year we’ll make targeted signings,” the club website quotes Maldini.

“We probably won’t be able to make any huge buys like we’ve been able to in the past. It may just be a case of making a few small changes, but we’ll do everything we can to improve the squad.

“Bakayoko? He’s a player who we know well and rate highly. The negotiations are ongoing, he’s one of our objectives.”