Aquilani nears permanent switch

Alberto Aquilani will trigger a transfer from Liverpool to AC Milan if he makes 25 appearances for the Serie A club this season.

Italy international Aquilani is on loan at Milan from Liverpool, but a deal has already been agreed between the two clubs to make his switch to San Siro permanent, according to the player’s agent, Franco Zavaglia.

Zavaglia claims Aquilani, who has made 15 appearances for Milan in Serie A and five in the Champions League, needs to line up five more times for Massimiliano Allegri’s men if he is to secure an off-season transfer.

“It’s all written in the contract,” Zavaglia told Tuttomercatoweb.com.

“Once Alberto has made 25 appearances for the Rossoneri, he will be a Milan player in all respects.”

Aquilani has been sidelined with an ankle problem since January but Zavaglia is hopeful his client will be back in contention within two weeks.

“He’s progressing very well,” Zavaglia said.

“I hope he can return in mid-March.”

Aquilani was signed by Liverpool for 20 million euros from Roma in 2009, but failed to secure a regular first-team place during his injury-hit stay at Anfield.

He spent last season on loan at Juventus before joining Milan at the start of the 2011/12 campaign.