Ricardo Rodriguez becomes AC Milan's 3rd summer signing
AC Milan is not wasting any time.
The Rossoneri completed the signing of 24-year-old left-back Ricardo Rodriguez from Wolfsburg on Thursday, adding the Swiss international amid a flurry of arrivals in the first weeks of June.
Rodriguez - the third player to join the Italian club this summer as it attempts to overhaul the squad and qualify for the Champions League - cost a reported €15 million plus €3 million in add-ons.
He has signed a four-year contract through June 2021, the team said in a statement.
An offensive-minded player who can cross well and make runs down the left flank, Rodriguez will give Milan a fresh threat out wide. For the past few seasons, Mattia De Sciglio, a predominantly right-sided defender, covered the position, although his performances left a lot to be desired.
In Rodriguez, Milan has its most capable left-back since Paolo Maldini retired in 2009. Various players tried and failed to fulfill the role - a long list including Taye Taiwo, Djamel Mesbah, Luca Antonini, and Kevin Constant - leading De Sciglio to play out of his natural habitat.
Inter had been linked with Rodriguez several times over the past year, but Milan's new Chinese owners and directors, spearheaded by Marco Fassone and Massimiliano Mirabelli, have acted quickly on the transfer market to usher in a new era.
Rodriguez suffered during his final season at Wolfsburg, which narrowly escaped relegation from the Bundesliga. He was forced to play as a centre-back for the German outfit - sometimes in a back three.
Regardless, he still managed to record more assists (24) than any other Bundesliga defender since he first stepped foot in the league in 2012.