Carlos Bacca has been a solid performer for AC Milan this season. Playing a part in every single league game, he hit 18 goals in his debut Serie A campaign to justify the £22.5 million transfer fee paid to sign him last summer.

In what has been an underwhelming campaign for the club, the Colombian’s clinical finishes have provided relief. But he may not be around for much longer.

Corriere dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) reported that Bacca is disconcerted about the idea of not playing in the UEFA Champions League again next season and that Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are among those interested in the striker.

The player failed to confirm or deny rumours about his future when Calciomercato quizzed him, saying: “My mind is on the present. You never know about the future, it’s in God’s hands.”

Selling their top scorer would be a controversial move, but for the right transfer fee, it may be the correct call for Milan to make at this point in time.

 

Performance

Bacca’s ability to convert chances is rivalled by few other strikers in Italy. His efficacy is based on precise finishing—according to Squawka, his shot accuracy of 63 per cent is higher than the two players ahead of him in Serie A’s 2015-16 scoring charts, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala.

Preferring to play on the shoulder of the last man, his movement in the final third is exceptional. He is intelligent when it comes to finding gaps for through balls and provides a menacing penalty-area presence. Indeed, all of his league goals for Milan have come inside the 18-yard box.

However, while he is a superb taker of opportunities, his all-around game is lacking, something discussed in this post.

While persistent, he is no master dribbler. This perhaps explains why both M’Baye Niang and Mario Balotelli have completed comparatively more take-ons per game. His link-up play is also fairly basic, and he wins fewer headers than Luiz Adriano and Niang.

On top of that, he completes fewer tackles per game than his striking colleagues, which offers statistical confirmation that, while a hard worker, he is not particularly comfortable dropping back to defend when the team doesn’t have possession. Essentially, he is a specialist.

 

Comparisons

According to Transfermarkt, Milan paid £3.75 million above market value to sign Bacca prior to this season. He has since held his value, though considering he is in his late 20s, a period when most outfield players tend to peak, this may be set to drop in the coming years.

According to Bruce Archer of the Daily Express, relaying reports from Italy, the Rossoneri may be willing to sell the player for around £23 million. If this is a fee interested parties intend to offer, it is one well worth considering.

Per Squawka, the former Sevilla man is outside of the top 10 attackers in Serie A in terms of overall contribution. Napoli’s Higuain, Juventus’ Dybala, Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi, Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi, Torino’s Andrea Belotti and Genoa’s Leonardo Pavoletti are all rated ahead of him in this category.

Additionally, it’s worth noting the aforementioned forwards are younger than the 29-year-old Bacca.

When taking into account his average all-around play, which fits rather clumsily into the two-striker system Milan have used for much of this season, and his advanced age, the notion of making a small profit on the player should entice the Rossoneri.

 

Replacements

In February, Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia) reported that Pavoletti was on the Rossoneri’s radar as a potential summer signing. The Genoa centre-forward hit 14 goals this season and earned a call-up to Antonio Conte’s Italy squad for a pre-UEFA Euro 2016 training camp.

At 27, he is two years younger than Bacca. According to Squawka, he is more active in building attacking moves, completing more passes, as well as more involved defensively, winning more tackles. And while he beats his marker on the ground significantly less, he does win over five times more aerial challenges than the Milan poacher.

Given this, and the fact Pavoletti is rated at just £3.75 million by Transfermarkt, the Italian would seem to be a viable replacement for the Colombian should he leave the San Siro in the summer.

Another affordable alternative comes in the shape of Belotti, who has hit 12 league goals this season. Rated at £5.25 million by Transfermarkt, he—like Pavoletti—also offers more with his all-around game, completing more passes and take-ons and winning more aerial duels and tackles. Furthermore, at just 22, he has far more upside than Milan’s top scorer.

 

Sale

Selling Bacca would be a bold decision by the Rossoneri hierarchy, but it is one that could pay off handsomely. As such, the club would be well advised to consider accepting any bid for the player of around £23 million.

That would allow Milan to more than recoup their outlay on the forward, consequently enabling possible reinvestment, not only on a relatively inexpensive, younger and more versatile striker, but also in other weak areas within the squad.

 

All statistics provided by WhoScored.com unless otherwise stated.

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