AC Milan's magic ball algorithm has recently spotted another young player, and the 16-year-old black French midfielder has almost perfectly caught the attention of scouting director Moncada. He became the eighth under-18 player to be eyed by the Rossoneri in the winter transfer window. Fans can't help but ask, is Milan ready to build a team of Serie A dolls?
Perhaps inspired by their own 15-year-old Academy graduate Kamalda, and Milan's limited budget in the transfer market, they have recently focused on younger players.
In addition to the upcoming signing of 17-year-old striker Popovich, the trio of Fulani, Moncada and Deotavio are also chasing 15-year-old Marello, 16-year-old Subiabre, 17-year-old Ouedraogo, 17-year-old Tea, 17-year-old Echeverri and 17-year-old Ruberto. It looks like AC Milan's young squad is about to undergo a massive expansion.
Recently, Milan have once again discovered a 16-year-old rising star – Zoori from the youth team of Le Havre in Ligue 1. Moncada allegedly kept an eye on him for years. Zoori joined Le Havre in the summer of 2022 on a contract until June 2025. This season, he made 12 appearances for Le Havre's Under-19s and scored one goal.
Not long ago, he made his second team debut, scoring one goal in five minutes of playing time against French fifth-tier side Fleurs FC. Zoori mainly plays in the middle of the midfield, but can also play as a number six, has a certain B2B attribute, and the overall style is similar to Loftus-Cheek. He's physical, he's got a powerful shot, he's good at pushing the ball and he's good at cutting forward to create a threat.
Zoori is also a member of the France Under-17 squad and has made two appearances, including one against Slovenia in September last year. Zoori has almost all the ingredients for AC Milan's ideal signing, with young, black and French players all hitting Moncada's interest.
As a French scout, Moncada has a soft spot for French players, with Maignan, The'o, Giroud, Kalulu, Adley, Ravel all French, while Bennacer is a dual Algerian-French national. Today, Milan's squad is based on French players.
In an interview with Le Corpus, Moncada explained why he loves French players: "Young French players are not afraid of failure, they are able to adjust their mentality quickly. In contrast, young players in Spain, Germany or Italy are much inferior in this regard.
If they make mistakes on the field, they tend to give up on themselves, think that they are not capable enough, and then take the initiative to sit on the bench for a long time. "The Le Havre Academy is renowned for producing talented players such as Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez and Fran Mendy.
At the moment, Milan's sporting director De Otavio has met with Zoori's agent to finalise the transfer of the young French player as soon as possible, but they will face competition from several big teams.
AC Milan have signed five players aged 18 and under since 2023, including Jimenez, Ravel, Skocellas, Simmel Haque and Neeson, while the 17-year-old is just one step closer to an official signing. If Zoori is able to join Milan, he will be relegated to the youth team first. With the exception of Donnarumma, Milan's academy has not produced a star for many years.
The Rossoneri's young squad has grown stronger with the advanced retrieval of the Magic Ball system, and the morale of Abate's youth team is high. It looks like the Redbirds are looking to increase their odds by increasing the lottery base, but the decision is still in Pioli's hands to give his young players more opportunities to shine in the future.