"He would be a good signing" - Chelsea legend Ruud Gullit tells Arsenal target to join AC Milan
Former Chelsea legend Ruud Gullit has told Joshua Zirkzee, an Arsenal target, to join AC Milan. Zirkzee is a striker who plies his trade for Bologna in Serie A.
The 23-year-old Dutchman is coming off an impressive season for the Serie A outfit. In 37 games across competitions, Zirkzee contributed 12 goals and seven assists.
Most of those goal contributions - 11 goals and five assists in 34 games - came in the league, where Bologna finished fifth to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
Zirkzee is contracted with Bologna till 2026, but there has been no dearth of interest in his services. As per Football Italia, he has a release clause of €40 million, with agent commission expected to be around €12 million.
The report mentions interest from the Gunners, but Gullit reckons his compatriot would be a good fit at his old club, AC Milan, telling Sky Sport Italia:
“I like Zirkzee, I’ve known him since he was playing for the Under-17 team with my son. He is a striker with a real nose for goal. He always finds himself in the right place at the right time. He would be a good signing for Milan.”
The Arsenal target has 14 goals and nine assists in 58 games across competitions for Bologna since arriving from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022.
How Chelsea, Arsenal and AC Milan fared in the 2023-24 season
Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan have had decent seasons. While the Gunners finished second and the Blues ended sixth in the Premier League, Milan finished second in Serie A.
The Gunners kept the title race alive going into the final day of the season on May 19. While they beat Everton 2-1, they needed Manchester City to drop points, but the Cityzens saw off West Ham United 3-1 to completed an unprecedented Premier League four-peat.
Mikel Arteta's side also reached the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals but fell early in both domestic cups.
Meanwhile, Chelsea struggled initially with a new-look side, but Mauricio Pochettino's side ended the season with five straight wins to return to Europe, qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League. They had initially qualified for the Europa League, but Manchester United's win (2-1) over City in the FA Cup final saw them drop to the Conference League.
Chelsea fared well in both domestic cups, losing to Liverpool in the EFL Cup final and losing to City in the FA Cup semifinals.
Meanwhile, AC Milan enjoyed a superb season but finished 19 points behind winners Inter Milan. The Rossoneri also reached the Coppa Italia and UEFA Europa League quarterfinals.