Arsenal will have to battle Inter Milan and Juventus for the signing of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer, according to Corriere dello Sport via Football Transfers.
The online news portal claims Milinkovic-Savic wants to leave the Serie A side this summer and has made it clear he won’t be signing a new contract. His current deal expires in 12 months so Lazio are ready to cash-in rather than lost him for noting next year.
Arsenal are searching for midfielders to bolster their squad following the imminent exits of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey. Xhaka is set to return to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen while Partey is being targeted by Juventus and clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Mikel Arteta’s top priority is to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice but Manchester City have joined the race for the England midfielder and are willing to meet the Hammers’ £100m valuation.
However the 24-year-old has set his heart on a move to Arsenal and the North Londoners are expected to make another bid for him after West Ham rejected their £90m offer for Rice – who has one year left on his contract.
Reinforcement
Arsenal are working hard to complete a deal for Rice, however, Arteta is in the market for two central midfielders and it appears Milinkovic-Savic is once again on Arsenal’s radar.
The Serbian international has long been linked with a move to England and Football Transfers cites the print edition of Corriere dello Sport as saying Arsenal could look to finally lure the midfielder to the Premier League.
The report says Lazio are ready to do business if £34m is put on the table, however, the Gunners will face stiff competition as Inter Milan and Juventus are also showing a keen interest.
Milinkovic-Savic would be a decent signing for Arteta’s side and could be a possible replacement for Xhaka. He is combative in the middle of the park and would bring a strong presence to the Arsenal midfield which was sometimes lacking last season.
Since joining Lazio from Genk in 2015, he has developed to become of the best midfielders in Italy. He has racked up 341 appearances, scored 69 times, and registered 59 assists in all competitions.
Last season, he featured in 47 games, netted 11 times, and recorded eight assists across all competitions as Lazio finished second in the Serie A with 74 points.
Read more: Report: Arsenal given chance to sign £34m star in Thomas Partey swap deal
