We all know that Sergej Milinković-Savić is a target for Manchester United at this point, because the Italian media have drilled it into our skulls.
It’s rare that a day goes by without someone somewhere in the boot-shaped country publishing an article involving the Red Devils and the Serbian midfielder, and it’s normally about how much money Lazio will be getting.
However, few have explored how much of an impact Milinković-Savić’s exit, whether it be to Manchester United or another club, could have on the Serie A side.
Corriere della Sera’s Rome edition do just that on Friday, making it clear from the off that the inevitable goodbye this summer, after seven years of him being in Italy’s capital, ‘will be painful’.
The relationships the player has created throughout his time there are strong, and there’s never been an issue with him, as ‘the Sergeant’s behaviour has always been impeccable: a technical leader and a true professional’.
If they had a choice, it’s said Lazio fans ‘would like to see him as far away as possible from Italy and not at Juventus’, although they are aware the attraction of playing for the Old Lady remains strong, regardless of their drop in form over the past couple of years.
Either way, any sale ‘will not fall below €60m’, as Claudio Lotito, the club’s owner, ‘will try to raise the price in any case, thanks to the interest of other top European clubs, such as Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain’.
Lazio are already planning for his exit, with names such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Leander Dendoncker or Benjamin Bourigeaud all circulating as potential alternatives, but one thing is clear, it will be extremely hard to fill the gap left by the Serbian.
In fact, ‘that Milinković-Savić is irreplaceable for Sarri’s Lazio is demonstrated by the teams lined up’, because he is never rested, and has been playing for five months straight even when the likes of Lucas Leiva and Luis Alberto were sent to the bench for rotation purposes.
This is the kind of player Manchester United need for the post-Paul Pogba era, and perhaps why the Red Devils are targeting him.
Whether they get him is a whole different matter, but we doubt Erik ten Hag would be against working with someone like the Serbian at Old Trafford going forward.
