AC Milan is really interested in recruiting Celtic’s Rocco Vata and is negotiating a pre-contract agreement with his entourage, according to sources.
Milan prefers to get in early when it comes to obtaining young talent for the future, as seen by transactions for Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw, and, more recently, Alex Jimenez and Filippo Terracciano.
Part of the reason for this is due to their extensive scouting network and Geoffrey Moncada’s influence, but there is also an economic benefit to getting in before a player explodes, and their price tag reflects this.
Background
Vata is the son of a former Celtic defender, Rudi Vata, and he has always had a strong connection to the Scottish club, with whom he signed his first professional deal at the age of 16 in July 2021.
Vata has been in the program since he was seven years old and decided to represent Ireland at the young level. He worked his way up through Celtic’s academy before reaching the B-team.
Vata made his first-team debut in the 2022-23 season, coming off the bench in a 4-0 win over Hibernian, and made his home debut in April 2023, one of only a few appearances that season.
He spent the majority of the first half of the 2023-24 season with the youth squad, where he was the leading scorer, playing as an attacking midfielder and winger, before scoring his first senior goal for Celtic in a 5-0 win over Buckie Thistle at Celtic Park.
“My father played for Celtic when I was born, therefore Celtic is an important part of my life. I’d always watch them in my spare time. Vata stated, “Celtic has always been in my heart.”
Milan’s interest
TMW initially joined Vata with Milan in 2022. They referred to him as ‘the star of Ireland’s Under 19 national team,’ and he had just scored against Fulham as well as RB Leipzig in the Youth League.
The teenager has been characterized as ‘a talent to keep an eye on’, with Milan and Juventus, as well as Roma, Arsenal, and Manchester City, keeping a close eye on him through scouts.
However, the Scottish side had no intention of selling him at the time, but when their then-head coach Ange Postecoglou (now at Spurs) delayed promoting him to the first team full-time, interest grew.
When he came off the bench with six minutes remaining in his debut against Hibernian, another report from the same source surfaced.
They added that following his impressive achievements in the Youth League, many scouts were present to watch Vata, including Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid, as well as Roma, Juventus, and Milan, all of whom are interested in recruiting the adolescent.
Our information
According to information obtained from individuals close to the matter, Milan has increased their interest in signing Vata after watching him for the past few years.
Furthermore, the 18-year-old’s contract is about to expire, making him eligible for a ‘free transfer’.
However, due to compensation laws for teams that nurtured youngsters through their academies who are under a particular age, Milan would have to pay €400,000 to bring him in.
Nonetheless, the interest is extremely definite, and negotiations have begun about a pre-contract in preparation for the summer. The athlete, we are told, is eager to make the move.
It’s probable that Vata is being considered for the U23 team project, but considering his ambition for first-team football at Celtic, he may quickly become a possibility for Stefano Pioli or whatever the coach is in 2024-25.
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