AC Milan have entered the race to secure the signature of Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier after the club’s sporting director Paolo Maldini confirmed contact has been made with the player’s agent.
The 27-year-old has been with the Lilywhites since 2017 when he moved from Paris Saint-Germain, and he's been club’s first-choice right-back since Kieran Trippier’s departure to Atletico Madrid last summer, although the Rossoneri have confirmed they're looking to take him to Italy this summer.
“We had talked to [Aurier's] agent last year, there was a chance,” Maldini told Sky Sports Italia after AC Milan’s 3-0 win over Cagliari, when asked about the prospect of signing the full-back. “Now let's think about ending the season, then we will act on the market in the three weeks that the players will go on vacation.”
The Ivorian played 42 times in all competitions this term, 33 of them coming in the Premier League where he scored one goal and provided five assists.
He also scored and assisted in Spurs' 4-2 Champions League Group B win over Olympiacos and provided another assist in a 5-0 win over Red Star Belgrade at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Aurier’s performances have been inconsistent, although he did enjoy a brief renaissance under Jose Mourinho as Spurs finished sixth in the league to qualify for the Europa League.
The Rossoneri end the Serie A season as the best side since the resumption of the Italian top flight, going unbeaten in 12 games, winning nine times and drawing thrice, all which saw them seal sixth place and a place in the Europa League qualifiers next season.
Milan are not the only club interested in Aurier with French club AS Monaco, whose recruitment department is overseen by Paul Mitchell, formerly part of the Tottenham backroom staff, also understood to be keen on the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations winner.
Aurier recently suffered a tragedy after his brother Christopher was shot dead in the French city of Toulouse, but despite the setback, the Ivorian summoned the courage to play 24 hours later in a league game against Newcastle United which ended in a 3-1 victory.
