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During the summer, after losing their attacking leader Andriy Shevchenko, they finally found a replacement for the productive Ukrainian - an Italian club from Seville acquired Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira, who signed a five-year contract.
The negotiations for the player were prolonged as the Spanish club complicated them by increasing their demands, but "Milan" desperately wanted to acquire the striker and an agreement was reached - it is reported that "Betis" agreed to sell the player for 18 million euros and Swiss national team defender Johann Vogel.
26-year-old R. Oliveira scored 22 goals in the 2004/05 season in the Spanish championship and was one of the most productive players in the competition, but in November 2005 he suffered a serious knee injury and only recovered in April of this year. Previously, the Brazilian represented the "Valencia" team, with which he won the Spanish champions title in 2004 and the UEFA Cup.
The arrival of R. Oliveira means not only that 29-year-old former PSV Eindhoven defender Swiss Johann Vogel is moving to "Betis", but also "Milan" saying goodbye to another Brazilian - the player did not establish himself in the club and by mutual agreement terminated the contract and returned to his homeland to represent "Corinthians".
It is speculated that "Milan" is also approaching the acquisition of Roma defender Massimo Oddo, as the defender, who became a world champion with the Italian national team, expressed his desire to leave the capital's club despite having a valid contract until 2008.
However, "Lazio" president Claudio Lotito values the player at 9 million euros and the clubs had to seek a compromise - it is believed that M. Oddo could be loaned for 2.5 million euros with the option to buy him after the season. Furthermore, both clubs agreed on the transfer - the 23-year-old defender will move to the Roma team on a loan agreement with the possibility of later purchasing half of the rights to him and replacing the injured Swiss player Valon Behrami, who will not play until November.
Italian media also claim that "Milan" has not lost hope of acquiring Italian national team striker Vincenzo Iaquinta, even though "Udinese" manager Franco Soldati rejected such a possibility on Wednesday. According to speculations, "Milan" could offer 15 million euros for the player, and the "Udinese" club would replace him by acquiring Amauri from Verona's "Chievo" or Erjon Bogdani from "Siena".
