Chelsea are interested in acquiring the services of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer, according to a fresh transfer rumour.
Who is Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?
The 28-year-old has been arguably one of Serie A's outstanding midfielders in recent years, standing out as a dominant presence for Lazio in the middle of the park. The £75,000-a-week star has now scored 69 goals and registered 59 assists for the Italian giants, coming in a total of 341 appearances, and he is also a 43-cap Serbia international, catching the eye at international level as well.
Milinkovic-Savic is a player who is right at the peak of his powers, and while Lazio will no doubt be desperate to keep hold of arguably their most prized asset, he is out of contract there next summer, at which point he would be allowed to leave on a free transfer, acting as a blow to them.
That situation could force them to sell him before the start of the 2023/24, considering this would be the last chance for them to receive a good amount of money for his signature.
Chelsea continue to look hard at new signings, with Real Madrid star Federico Valverde the latest to be player to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge – Moises Caicedo looks like the top Blues target currently – and it could be that they make a move for Milinkovic-Savic too.
Are Chelsea signing Milinkovic-Savic?
That's according to Il Tempo [via Sport Witness], who claim that Milinkovic-Savid has been offered to "half of Europe" by his agent, former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, but Lazio "won’t go below €30m (£25.7m)" when it comes to his price tag.
The Blues "have shown interest" in signing the Lazio ace, even though they are pursuing "other negotiations" currently, with the current situation believed to be "driving his fans crazy".
Milinkovic-Savic could be a fantastic option for Chelsea this summer, especially as it looks as though he could even be available on a cut-price deal. He is now a very experienced footballer, but still someone who is in the best years of his career, and his physical style means to could make a seamless move from Serie A to the Premier League.
He has been hailed as "one of the best" by ex-Blues manager Maurizio Sarri, who went on to add that he "really is a complete player with great quality", and his aforementioned goal and assist tally outlines the end product he could bring to Chelsea's midfield.
Last season, Conor Gallagher was the Blues' top-scoring central midfielder with just three goals in the Premier League, showing how goal-shy they were in the middle of the park, so Milinkovic-Savic could be such an attacking upgrade in that area of the pitch.
At 28, there is an argument to say that Mauricio Pochettino may possibly want to sign younger options, given the fact that the Serbian is only actually a year younger than Kovacic, but Chelsea should be able to get three or four years out of him before his peak years potentially drift by.