According to Corriere dello Sport (via SportWitness), Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic would gladly accept a move to Arsenal this summer.
The Serbian is one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Italian top-flight and he has been linked with a Premier League move on several occasions.
Milinkovic-Savic will enter the final year of his Lazio contract in July and Corriere dello Sport claim that he is still on the radar of many Premier League sides.
However, the report claims that clubs like Arsenal could be reluctant to meet the £35 million asking price and they could utmost pay £27 million with bonuses.
While Milinkovic-Savic would ‘gladly accept a move’ to the Gunners, it is unclear whether Lazio president Claudio Lolito would sanction a deal for such a fee.
Quality
Milinkovic-Savic has had another top-notch campaign for Lazio. In his 36 appearances this season, he has scored 6 goals and provided 8 assists for his club.
The Serbian has been hugely impressive from the number eight position and Lazio are currently in a good position to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Despite this, he has refused to pen a new contract with the club and this clearly suggests that he is planning to pursue a bigger challenge in the next transfer window.
As things stand, Arsenal are regarded as the midfielder’s preferred choice but the big question mark is whether the London giants will invest on his services this summer.
Granit Xhaka has been a revelation from the number eight role this campaign and he has already amassed 11 goal contributions for Arsenal – only three less than Milinkovic-Savic.
The Serbian would be a good signing for the Premier League leaders but he is already 28. The midfielder also tends to lose possession and is not the best distributor from midfield.
Hence, there are a couple of potential weaknesses in the midfielder’s playing style and Arsenal could be better off pursuing a younger midfielder that can provide better control.
