New AC Milan centerback Mattia Caldara is hoping to form a successful club pairing with Italian countryman Alessio Romagnoli.

Caldara was shipped to Milan as part of a three-player deal with Gonzalo Higuain also joining Milan on a season-long loan and Leonardo Bonucci returning to Juventus after a single season.

Caldara did not make a competitive appearance for Juve, spending last term on loan at Atalanta after the Bianconeri sealed a deal to sign the centre-back from the Bergamo club.

And the 24-year-old is now hoping to establish a strong partnership with another rising star Italy international, Romagnoli, as he bids to replace Bonucci at San Siro.

"Alessio is a very strong player," Caldara said to DAZN. "He is one year younger than me but he has already more than 100 appearences in Serie A. It will be a great opportunity for me to play beside him. 

"I hope to show to be at his level and to play beside him also for the national team but all these things we will need to prove on the pitch.

"When I heard the rumours I was in America. I kept receiving texts from my friends but initially I didn't know much about it.

"Then my agent called me for the first time, saying it was a concrete opportunity. So I started to think about it and every day I was more convinced of coming here. Now, having worn this shirt, I can say it has a very unique taste."