AC Milan will complete the transfer of Super Eagles attacker Samuel Chukwueze from Villarreal in a deal reportedly worth within the range of €28m today.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano in the early hours of Tuesday disclosed this while providing an update on Chukwueze’s imminent move from La Liga to Serie A.
“AC Milan will complete Samuel Chukwueze’s deal today, it has been done since Monday for €20m fee plus €8m add-ons to Villarreal,” Romano tweeted.
“Chukwueze will land in Milano around 1pm today. Italian centre-back Matteo Gabbia will join Villarreal on loan from AC Milan in a separate deal.”
Meanwhile, former Nigerian international, Sam Sodje is optimistic that fellow compatriot, Chukwueze can handle the pressure of wearing the colours of Milan.
Villarreal and Milan reached agreement on €28million transfer fee for Chukwueze last week and both clubs exchanged documents to finalise the deal on Monday night.
The 24-year-old is scheduled to undergo medical this week and thereafter put pen to paper on a five-year deal at the San Siro Stadium.
He would be the sixth Nigerian football player to dorn the colours of the red and black side of Milan after Taye Taiwo, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Kingsley Umunegbu, Taribo West and Aliyu Datti.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday on the move, Sodje said Nigerians should be proud that a player in the national team would be playing for the seven-time UEFA Champions League winner.
The 44-year-old former defender, however, stressed that the forward should gear up for the challenge of playing for one of the best clubs in the world.
“AC Milan for a Super Eagles player is such a big club. We Nigerians should be proud that we have someone playing for AC Milan, such an iconic club and that will definitely bring more attention to the national team,” Sodje said during an interview on Brila FM.
“But let’s be factual, let’s be honest, when you play for a bigger club, the expectation is high, the pressure is high, so it depends on how you can handle it.
“It is not as it used to be. I will give you an example. When you play for a team like Chelsea or Manchester United, it is different from when you play for a team like Fulham, because the big clubs win every game, they go to every game and win every game.
“So he would find it different, it all depends on how he can cope with that, but I am sure he can.”
Chukwueze had the best season of his career so far in the yellow and yellow jersey of Villarreal last season, when he scored 13 goals and bagged 11 assists.
The Nigerian international was promoted to the Yellow Submarine’s senior team in 2018 and has gone on to make 207 appearances in all competitons with 37 goals to his name.