West Ham make contact to sign defender Nikola Milenkovic
West Ham want to sign Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic but face a transfer battle with other clubs interested, report Calcio Mercato.
The Hammers are believed to have made the first steps with the 23-year-old’s entourage, in terms of showing interest and taking information – Manchester United have reportedly done the same.
Tottenham and Everton have also been linked to Milenkovic, who could be available for €30million [£26million].
And Fiorentina will apparently be “forced to sell” the centre-back, who has made murmurings that his time could be up at the Serie A club.
Ticks the right boxes
David Moyes has based his style on making West Ham organised and tough to beat, and our central defenders have been key to that working well.
But with Fabian Balbuena’s contract running out the Irons could be in need of a centre-back in the summer, and Milenkovic fits the mould of what Moyes likes.
He covers the basics well with 1.5 tackles and 3.5 clearances per game, while he has also won 3.1 aerial duels per game [WhoScored].
An added bonus is Milenkovic’s ability on the ball, and the composure he shows to pick out a pass.
A return of 2.6 long balls per game and 87% pass accuracy shows he could help West Ham build moves from the back.
Milenkovic is an impressive figure and at 23 he is likely to progress further, especially in a Moyes team.
The Hammers could participate in the Champions League next term and we need to be prepared to spend big if we are going to compete with Europe’s elite teams.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have readied a £66,000 a week deal to sign forward after making contact.
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