Arsenal eye ambitious move to sign Sergej Milnkovic-Savic

Arsenal are willing to ‘do anything’ to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and are ready to offer Lazio Albert Sambi Lokonga as part of a package deal worth up to £74m, according to CalcioMercatoWeb.

Milinkovic-Savic has developed into one of the best all-round midfielders in Serie A since joining Lazio from Genk in 2015 and he’s cemented himself as a vital part of their starting eleven.

The 27-year-old has racked up over 300 appearances for Lazio, scoring 62 goals and providing 58 assists in the process, making him one of the most prolific central midfielders in Europe.

Milinkovic-Savic has attracted interest from a whole host of top European clubs over the years and is constantly linked with a move away from the Stadio Olimpico, but no club has ever managed to get a deal agreed.

Juventus have long been touted as suitors for the Serbian international but Lazio won’t do business with their rivals and it appears Arsenal are the latest club to be showing a keen interest.

According to CalcioMercatoWeb, Arsenal are willing to ‘do anything’ to sign Milinkovic-Savic and are ready to start negotiations about a potential swap deal involving Sambi Lokonga.

The report says Lokonga is valued at around £22m [€25m] and Arsenal could offer the Belgian international as well as a substantial cash bid of up to £52m [€60m] in exchange for Milinkovic-Savic’s signature.

Tempting

The total deal would be worth £74m and such an offer may be enough to tempt Lazio into a deal, according to CalcioMercatoWeb. So, Arsenal could stand a real chance of finally luring the midfielder to the Premier League either in January or next summer.

Mikel Arteta was reportedly in the market for another midfielder last summer but failed to get a deal over the line for any of his targets before the window closed, leaving himself short of options in the middle of the park.

The Gunners boss is expected to renew his attempts in the winter as he looks to bring in competition for Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, and Milinkovic-Savic is seemingly on his radar.

He would be a superb addition to the Arsenal squad and would be a big upgrade on Sambi Lokonga if they could get a swap deal done. We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but Milinkovic-Savic would be an excellent piece of business if the Gunners could lure him to north London.