Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was one of the stars of the early summer transfer market, with rumours being pushed very strongly in the Italian media.
Manchester United were probably the Premier League club linked most with the player, whereas for Serie A it was champions Juventus. Suggested prices were always high, sometimes ridiculously so, with it being suggested more than once that Lazio could look for as much as €180m.
Milinkovic-Savic wasn’t able to back that price tag up when performing for Serbia at the World Cup. He didn’t do badly, but not enough to suggest he’d be worth such an investment.
Things went a little quieter and then Chelsea were dragged into the picture, a likely development given they’ve linked with any good player thought to be half available in Italy.
The footballer was supposed to arrive at Lazio this morning for his preseason medical checks, but hasn’t arrived. That’s led to further rumours, but the player’s agent insists it’s just a case of traffic making him miss the flight.
Mateja Kezman is quoted as saying: “Sergej has only missed his plane due to a major road accident on the highway that leads from Belgrade to the airport. He will start working with the team, then he will do the usual medical check-ups tomorrow morning. A move to force his hand on the market? None of this: between me, Lazio and the player there is no problem, everything is ok.”
Lazio’s asking price is still likely to be more than €100m and it may be doubtful, judging by Chelsea’s summer so far, that the Blues would happily meet it.
