It seems things are moving ahead smoothly with AC Milan’s attempts to sign Emerson Royal, as new reports from Italy suggest the Serie A side are ready to pay what Tottenham Hotspur want for the defender.
Emerson Royal is on his way out of Spurs
After fulfilling various roles for Ange Postecoglou across the defence last season, it looks like the time has come for Royal to move on.
Apparently, Postecoglou is of the opinion that Royal is not comfortable with the system he wants to play at Spurs and as such, is keen to offload the full-back (The Athletic).
AC Milan have long been the frontrunners to sign Royal this summer and have been holding talks with Spurs and the player’s camp for some time (Gianluca Di Marzio).
It was recently claimed Spurs had dropped their asking price to just €20m, or roughly around £17.5m (Gazzetta dello Sport).
Emerson Royal to AC Milan deal is close
That price appears to be fairly close to what the final figure will be, as the latest from Gazzetta (via Football Italia) marks out a ballpark of €18m-€20m for the player, a fee Milan are happy to pay.
It is thought Milan will be “matching Spurs’ demands” as they look to improve their defence, with Royal believed to be a “top target” this summer.
Apparently, “weeks of negotiations” have seen the price tag for Royal drop to a fee Milan can “afford.” It has not come without compromise on Milan’s side, though, as they are now looking likely to pay around €2m above their initial limit for the player.
The report suggests Royal will be the first signing of the summer for incoming Milan boss, Paulo Fonseca.
Spurs Web Opinion
I think that’s a fair price for a player who can do a good job in a number of positions, and who has a decent contract still remaining at Spurs.