AC Milan are looking to strengthen their defense and the name they’re closer to secure this winter is River Plate’s defender Leonel Vangioni. The left back is 28 years old and enjoying the best moment in his career and has already been linked to a move abroad to Europe and Brazil.

River better getting something than nothing

AC Milan are in the pole position to sign the Argentinean defender and offered him a four-year contract that would make him earn €1.25 million per year, with an additional €200.000 in bonuses. The Rossoneri have offered River € 750.000 for the player, but the Libertadores champions want at least €1 million to sell the left-back since they don’t fully own the player (30% of the player belongs to Newell’s Old Boys). The defender’s contract ends this summer, so in case he’s not sold during this window he’ll join the Milanese club for free in the summer.

Vangioni started his career in 2006, playing for the aforementioned Newell’s Old Boys. He arrived at River Plate in 2013 and immediately became a key player in the Millonarios' defense, first under Ramón Díaz and later under Marcelo Gallardo. He won six tournaments for the Argentinean giants, including the league in 2014 and the Copa Libertadores in 2015 (the club's first title in the competition in almost twenty years). He was included in America´s team of the year in 2014 thanks to the high level he displayed during that year, especially in the Copa Sudamericana where he was one of his team’s best players.

The defender also came under some controversy because of his reckless tackling, particularly twice in the derby against Boca Juniors, in which he injured his rivals’ players, Cristian Pavón and Juan Manuel Martinez. The derby, which was only a pre-season friendly had no less than five sending offs and nine other players were cautioned.

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Hernán Busso
European football and tennis fanatic. You can follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/Hernan1897