AC Milan in for bad news despite €27m agreement to sign Sporting CP star as striker prefers Ligue 1 transfer over Serie A switch

Milan were on the verge of signing Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface, but complications during the player's medical resulted in them dropping their interest. The Rossoneri are now targeting Sporting's Harder and have reportedly reached an agreement to sign the striker for €24 million (£21m/$28m) plus €3m in bonuses. However, the Danish forward is more inclined to join French club Rennes, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Milan are accelerating talks for Harder and have also met with the player's agent to finalise a proposal. Harder was signed by Sporting last year from Danish club Nordsjaelland and has since played 51 games for the club, in which he has scored 12 goals and registered seven assists. The Italian club have already started their campaign with a loss and thus need to finalise a deal to sort out the forward position. The Portuguese club have also added a sell-on clause in the player's contract.

Milan sporting director Igli Tare and manager Massimiliano Allegri have been trying to find a striker for quite some time now. Tare had previously also brokered a loan deal with Manchester United for Rasmus Hojlund, no move has materialised. However, with United clearing the air around his minutes this season, Hojlund can potentially agree to move to San Siro. Boniface's deal also fell through after the club reportedly found a problem in Boniface's right knee, quickly backing out of a deal. 

Allegri must have felt the absence of star forward Rafael Leao, as the Italian club kicked off their league campaign with a loss against Cremonese. Their next fixture is against Lecce on August 30, and the club will hope to have signed a striker by then.