Earlier in the summer, Arsenal fans will have been aware of their club’s reported interest in Sergej Milinković-Savić.
The Serbia international has long been linked with a move away from Lazio, but it has never come, with clubs such as Manchester United never putting in a bid worthy of Claudio Lotito’s attention.
The Serie A side’s president is very proud and doesn’t want to let his star go for peanuts, which is why Arsenal’s reported bid of around €60m in the summer never led to anything.
Firstly, it wasn’t enough to tempt the chief in selling, and Corriere dello Sport on Wednesday explain the Gunners were ‘not a welcome destination’ for the player as they weren’t playing in the Champions League.
That remains the case today, but Arsenal are also first in the Premier League, five points clear of Manchester City, and the outlet claim they are now ‘more tempting’ for Milinković-Savić.
There have been rumours of another €60m bid being readied with Albert Sambi Lokonga being thrown in there for good measure too, but that doesn’t appear to have been something Lazio have heard about.
Corriere state ‘there are and there will be rumours’, but ‘there are few certainties’.
Lotito has always maintained he wants €100m for his player, but with a contract expiring in 2024, that valuation seems a bit far-fetched, even if the player and his agent, Mateja Kezman, do want to make Lazio ‘as much as possible’ from a sale if they were to leave as a show of respect for everything they have done for him.
Any renewal from the midfielder’s end would have to include a release clause, but no contract would be accepted if it were anything above €60m.
Therefore, the two parties are at a bit of a dead end for the time being, with Arsenal reportedly lurking, but the player’s main concern right now will be the World Cup as Serbia prepare to face Brazil in their tournament opener.
