According to Milan TV, AC Milan has secured a loan deal for 21-year-old Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic.
Multiple reports claim the Italian club will pay a loan fee of $1 million for the Croatian, and will have a medical on Friday in Milan where they will, among other things, check to make sure he no longer has back problems that cut last campaign short.
Pasalic began at Croatian club Hadjuk Split where he rose through the youth ranks. He moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2014 for $3.5 million, and has been out on loan ever since. He first spent time at Spanish 2nd division club Elche, where he made 35 appearances and scored three goals. He then went on loan to French club Monaco, improving his numbers in frotn of net with seven goals in 29 appearances, including a pair of goals in four Champions League matches. However, he missed the final three months of the season with the aforementioned back injury.
The loan comes at a time when the two clubs are reportedly discussing a big money move for young defender Alessio Romagnoli, who just came to Milan last summer from Roma, but should Chelsea tempt them with a hefty profit after such a short amount of time, the 21-year-old could switch clubs again. The Milan TV report on Pasalic says the two deals are separate, and the Pasalic loan does not mean Romagnoli will be going in the other direction.
As part of the loan, the report says Milan will get a first look at Pasalic if Chelsea decides to sell him next summer.
