Milan have officially announced the arrival of Koni De Winter and have also reached an agreement with Swiss club Young Boys for the signing of Zachary Athekame.
After completing his move, De Winter admitted that moving to Milan doesn’t seem real, saying it feels like a dream.
The defender also expressed delight at being reunited with Max Allegri, who gave him his big Juventus break.
De Winter had been on the radar of Milan’s city rival, Inter, Premier League sides, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bournemouth this summer window before eventually joining the Rossoneri on Wednesday afternoon.
According to reports, Milan signed the defender from Genoa for a fee around €18m plus a further €2m in performance-related add-ons, with 20-25 percent of that figure going to his previous club Juventus.
Speaking with the official Milan YouTube Channel, De Winter aims to do well and gain more experience at the San Siro, adding that it’s not everyone who gets to wear the jersey.
“So I want to enjoy every moment of it,” he added.
De Winter also said Allegri will always be a big figure for him because he was the one who gave him his first professional debut.
The 23-year-old Belgium international, who sees this as a major step in his playing career, said the Rossoneri remains a massive club that needs no introductions.
“I remember watching Ronaldinho, Pato, and Maldini. There are many players from the Netherlands, which is close to Belgium, so I grew up watching Milan.”
Milan quickly reinforced their squad as De Winter replaced Malick Thiaw, who was sold to Newcastle United for €40m.
The Juventus youth product wants to become a stalwart of this defence, adding that he expects a good season and that Milan deserves to be at the top.
He is seen as a suitable replacement for Thiaw, having already experienced San Siro as an opponent against both Milan and Inter. He is expected to easily settle in and be an important player for the club.
Meanwhile, Milan could also announce the signing of Athekame on Friday as he is expected to arrive in Italy for his medical on Thursday.
Multiple sources, including Sky Sport Italia and Calciomercato.com, said his plane will land on Milanese soil tomorrow at 11.00 local time.
Milan will reportedly pay the Swedish club €10m. Young Boys will also have a 10 percent cut of the future sale fee.
Written by Oladipupo Mojeed
