AC Milan secure €18m agreement for new central defender

AC Milan are on the verge of wrapping up the signing of Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio in a deal worth €18m (£15.3m), reports Gazzetta dello Sport, via AS.

The Serie A giants wanted to sign the Villarreal defender last summer but a deal failed to take shape with the club in the middle of a drawn out takeover bid by their new Chinese investors, Li Yonghong’s consortium.

However, Milan are now expected to spend heavily in the summer to build a squad capable of mounting a serious challenge up the table next season and will make Musacchio one of their first signings.

The 26-year-old, who has been forced to deal with a number of injuries in his career, has spent the last seven years at Villarreal but will only have 12 months remaining on his existing deal with the Yellow Submarines at the end of the season.

Only two Villarreal players have blocked more shots in La Liga this season than Musacchio (20).

For more stats on Mateo Musacchio, click here to visit his WhoScored player page