AC Milan are in talks to sign Matija Nastasic on-loan from Schalke, according to a report.
The Serie A heavyweights are actively chasing a centre-back and have Celtic star Kristoffer Ajer on their list of options.
But technical director Paolo Maldini insisted on Monday night there were no active talks under way regarding the Norwegian, instead hinting a deal was afoot elsewhere.
And now Sky Italia claim Milan have turned to former Manchester City defender Nastasic.
It's reported a loan with obligation to buy is being discussed.
Fiorentina's Nikola Milenkovic is also a target but Maldini was lukewarm on both him and Ajer when quizzed.
He said: "As a manager there is always room to learn and improve. The proclamations have been talking about Champions League for many years but we haven’t been there for seven years.
“Last year something different was created, now we must see the fruits. We were asked to try for Champions League.
"There are better equipped teams but we do not set ourselves limits.
“We have an idea of how to build the team. We also look at the budget and the amount of wages.
"We are consistent with what we did last year. We still have two qualifying rounds of the Europa League.
“The biggest need is the central defender.
"Are we focusing on Ajer and Milenkovic? There are others too, they are not the names we are working on.
"We are calm in midfield with (Sandro) Tonali.”
