Club prefer to sell player to Manchester United – Agent at work to find transfer solution

Sergej Milinković-Savić’s future is being discussed on a daily basis in the Italian media and Manchester United continue to be named as one of his suitors.

Corriere dello Sport say the star’s ‘farewell is in [the] air’ as his ‘divorce appears inevitable’ with Lazio. They add it needs to be seen the fee the Serie A side will generate from his sale and where he will end up next.

Maurizio Sarri’s side prefer ‘selling him to Manchester United’ or another club abroad as this ‘wouldn’t sound like a defeat’ for them. On the other hand, it would hurt Lazio to see the 27-year-old play for Juventus or Inter Milan next season.

The newspaper then provides a background on the Red Devils’ failed efforts to sign the Serbia international in 2019, before they took Bruno Fernandes. The former was ‘almost sold’ to the Premier League side for €75m plus bonuses.

He ‘still has the same appeal’ at Manchester United, but their leadership is changing next season and there is also a need to see what will happen with Paul Pogba. The latter’s deal at Old Trafford expires on June 30th and he could end up at Juve.

Should Pogba rejoin the Old Lady, then it will allow Lotito to treat the Serbian’s case with ‘greater serenity’ and not deal with Andrea Agnelli. Meanwhile, Lotito has a ‘wonderful relationship’ with the player, and therefore, cannot disappoint him if he asks for a move.

Milinković-Savić’s agent, Mateja Kežman, is working on behalf of his client, and it is ‘now conceivable’ the Lazio star prefers Juve, where he can play alongside his compatriot Dušan Vlahović and get closer to his brother, Vanja, who plays for Torino.

For the midfielder to make a switch to Juve, the two clubs will have to find an agreement over a transfer fee. Lotito can no longer demand in excess of €100m, while he cannot be satisfied with a fee of €50m.

The newspaper states: ‘This is why Kezman’s mediation work and the promise he made to Sergej do not exclude a third way, should a suitable offer not come up: a tug-of-war with the agent, a very long and hot summer. The wait would not be rewarding for Lazio, even if protected by the contract. At the end of the summer, the price would drop further.’

Lazio would prefer to sell Milinković-Savić to a club like Manchester United, where he ‘still has the same appeal’ as he had in the past.

It’ll be interesting to see how this saga plays out over the course of the summer transfer window.