Manchester United 'preparing £42m offer for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic'

Manchester United ‘are preparing a £42m offer for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’ as Erik ten Hag looks for a plan B to Frenkie de Jong… but Lazio will dig their heels in over Serbian star they value at £59m

  • Manchester United are seeking midfield alternatives to Frenkie de Jong
  • Dutch international has made clear his reluctance to come to Old Trafford 
  • Erik ten Hag will reportedly turn his attention to Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
  • There are suggestions United will make an initial offer to Lazio of about £42m
  • But the Italian club will likely hold out for a fee closer to the £60m mark 

Manchester United ‘will test Lazio’s resolve with an offer of £42million for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’ as Erik ten Hag looks for alternatives to Frenkie de Jong.

With hopes of signing the Barcelona midfielder fading quickly, United are expected to move to their No 2 target of the 27-year-old Serbia international.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito, however, is expected to hold out for a price closer to £59m for Milinkovic-Savic.

Man United are reportedly preparing an initial offer of £42m for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

United manager Erik ten Hag is turning his focus to alternatives after Frenkie de Jong’s snub

Italian newspaper Messagero report that the player’s agent is expected to present Lazio with an offer they can’t refuse from United by the beginning of August.

Lotito will likely attempt to drive the price up to somewhere closer to his asking price in an attempt to stave off supporter discontent at the sale of a key asset.

Lazio fans have also been irked by Roma’s resurgence under Jose Mourinho and their recent signing of striker Paulo Dybala from Juventus.

They will target Napoli’s Piotr Zieliński as a replacement for Milinkovic-Savic should he leave given his previous experience of working with their manager Maurizio Sarri.

Barcelona midfielder De Jong has been United’s first choice but he doesn’t want to move

The Serbian made 11 goals and 11 assists last season for Lazio, earning United’s interest

Milinkovic-Savic has been a Lazio player since 2015, scoring 58 goals in 294 appearances for the club from his box-to-box midfield role.

He has long expressed a desire to play in a league outside of Serie A and United are in need of a midfield replacement for Paul Pogba, who has returned to Juventus.

Ten Hag will consider Milinkovic-Savic to tick many of the required boxes as his first choice De Jong did.

However, United are in urgent need of a defensive midfield to shield their brittle defence as opposed to a player like the Lazio man who is afforded licence to push forward and create.

Serbia international Milinkovic-Savic has licence at Lazio to push forward and score goals

They already have Bruno Fernandes for a creative role and have also added Christian Eriksen this summer.

Ten Hag has also signed Tyrell Malacia, the left-back, and Lisandro Martinez, a centre-back, as he tries to restore United to silverware contenders.




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