Milan have confirmed the capture of 20-year-old defender Alessio Romagnoli from Roma for a fee believed to be in the region of €25 million, as they continue to bolster their squad ahead of the Serie A season.
The youngster is expected to don Alessandro Nesta's old No.13 jersey, which Nesta made over 300 appereances in while winning two Champions League titles and two Scudetti.
Romagnoli will hook up with former coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, whom he spent last season working under.
The Italian U21 international is reported to have penned a contract that will keep him in Milan until 2020.
A defender to build around
Milan may have acquired household names in Carlos Bacca, Luiz Adriano and Andrea Bertolacci this summer, but they had yet to address their flailing backline.
The addition of Romagnoli means Mihajlovic now has a defender capable of building his backline around. Rodrigo Ely, who has spent the last three season out on loan, may return to the fold.
"Welcome Alessio", beamed club CEO Adriano Galliani on the club's official website. “You’ve signed a contract with us until June 30, 2020 and we’re really happy."
Galliani went onto add that he believes the Italian has "plenty of time to become one of our symbols" and that he is "one of those who brands their name on the ball in the tradition of the great defenders of the Rossoneri school."
Mixed signals from Roma
The sale of Romagnoli for €25 million -- rising to €30 million -- means the club can now confirm the signing of Edin Džeko, who has arrived in Rome this past week to undergo a medical.
It had been one of the longest-running transfer sagas of the summer in Europe, though many believe that Roma have lost a real gem in the youngster.
Bertolacci, who made a similar journey from Rome to Milan this summer, branded it a "great signing."