Santiago Giménez runs out of room at Milan after Goncalo Ramos arrival

Eighty million dollars. That's the figure Milan put on the table to land Goncalo Ramos, and that, at bottom, is the reason Santiago Giménez's name is back in the transfer chatter. The Mexican forward joined the Rossoneri as a bold bet a little over a year and a half ago, and today his place in the locker room looks smaller by the day.

The arrival of the Portuguese forward from Paris Saint-Germain is no small detail. Ramos is shaping up to be the starting center forward in Rúben Amorim's system, and that leaves Giménez in an awkward spot: the odd man out on a team that just spent a fortune on his position.

While his future gets sorted out in front offices and rumor mills, the "Bebote" is going through a rough patch physically. He's recovering from an ankle injury suffered during the round of 16 match between Mexico and England at the 2026 World Cup, an issue that has kept him out of Milan's preseason and, by extension, off any stage where he could showcase himself to a potential buyer.

Lazio and Porto, the names in the mix

Amid this uncertainty, two clubs have surfaced: Lazio and Porto. According to various reports, the Portuguese side has made the most progress in its pursuit of the forward who came up through Cruz Azul's academy.

As for the Lazio possibility, Gennaro Gattuso himself addressed the matter in a press conference. The Italian coach didn't hold back when asked about his club's reported interest in Giménez, making clear he has no intention of begging anyone to come to Rome.

Giménez? The people who come here need to actually want to be here. I'm not in the habit of trying to convince players. In soccer you can't promise anything. If someone wants it, they should come and strap on the helmet, that's what we need this year. Otherwise there's no point.Gennaro Gattuso

Gattuso's words don't close the door, but they don't swing it wide open either. It's the classic line from a coach putting the ball in the player's court: if he wants to come, come with the right attitude; if not, don't bother.

Giménez's numbers at Milan don't do much to argue for keeping him around either. In 37 appearances since arriving, he has racked up seven goals and six assists, production that fell short of the expectations his signing generated, in large part because injuries kept him from stringing together any real continuity.

With the transfer window moving forward and his recovery still in progress, the Mexican finds himself at a crossroads. Milan appears to have already made its decision by bringing in Ramos, and now Giménez's fate will hinge on which club is willing to bet on a forward who, when healthy, has already shown he can score goals in Europe.