With Paul Pogba leaving Manchester United on a free, it was firmly believed the Premier League side would make a move for Sergej Milinković-Savić.
However, such a bid never came, while other clubs, such as Chelsea, Arsenal and even Newcastle United were also linked with the Serbian midfielder.
There have been reports that the Blues were thinking about putting an offer forward for the player, while some stated the Gunners and Newcastle did.
That being said, the general consensus was that neither Mikel Arteta nor Eddie Howe would stand a chance of signing the midfielder for Arsenal and Newcastle due to their lack of Champions League football.
That gave Chelsea an advantage, which is what Milinković-Savić’s agent, Mateja Kezman, suggested on Tuesday in an interview with Corriere dello Sport.
Asked if the Stamford Bridge side moved for the player, he said: “Tuchel likes the player a lot, but he needed a centre-back.”
This is certainly true, as Chelsea lost both Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen to free transfers, leading the German manager to push for Kalidou Koulibaly and, soon, Wesley Fofana as replacements.
That leaves little money for Milinković-Savić, while Arsenal and Newcastle, despite potentially having the funds, were never an option.
Kezman added: “To be honest, Sergej and I think these options are not for him. In the future, he will want to play in the Champions League every season.”
Perhaps that discourse will be different next summer if both Arsenal and Newcastle continue to consistently build on their great respective starts to the campaign, with the Gunners winning all four of their opening games this season.
