Arsenal have reportedly made an offer to sign Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, according to Il Messaggero (via Sport Witness).Â
The lowdown: Career so far
Signed by the Biancocelesti from Belgian outfit Genk in 2015 for £10.8m (Transfermarkt), the Serbia international has been nothing short of a revelation for the Serie A club since arriving in Rome.
The 27-year-old, who was born in Spain, has directly contributed to 109 goals in a 294 Lazio appearances, collecting silverware in the Coppa Italia (twice) and Italian Super Cup.
Some seven years after joining Lazio and having been periodically linked with a move to the Premier League, Milinkovic-Savic could finally be ready for a fresh challenge, and Arsenal appear to be among the contenders…
The latest: Arsenal submit offer
As per Il Messaggero, translated by Sport Witness, the Gunners and Newcastle United have both made attempts to sign the 34-cap star this summer.
It is claimed that the bids in the region of €50m-€55m (£43m-£47m) ‘do not satisfy’ Lazio chairman Claudio Lotito.
However, the report added that the player’s agent, former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, reiterated that the midfielder, who was recently hailed for an ‘electric’ performance against Sassuolo by writer Jerry Mancini, will ‘not stay’ at the Stadio Olimpico beyond the current transfer window.
The verdict: Paying for quality
Sharing a close stylistic likeness with Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans and Leon Goretzka (FBRef), rarely does a player of Milinkovic-Savic’s ilk become so readily available.
As such, Edu and the Emirates Stadium hierarchy should be doing everything in their power to ensure that the powerful Serbian can become part of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Milinkovic-Savic at Arsenal?
Yes
No
In 2021/22, the 6 foot 4 bulwark scored 11 times and provided 12 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions whilst earning a superb 7.28 Sofascore rating. He averaged 6.9 successful duels, 50.6 accurate passes and two shots per game in the Italian top flight, highlighting an impressive attacking impact to complement his very strong defensive acumen.
Milinkovic-Savic is valued at £63m and under contract until 2024 (Transfermarkt). Although the aforementioned offers clearly aren’t enough to persuade Lazio to sell their most valuable commodity, the prospect of him lining up alongside the likes of Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and the newly-acquired Fabio Vieira should prompt the north Londoners to break the bank to make the deal a reality.
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