Nick Ware

Tue 10 August 2021 15:10, UK

West Ham and Fiorentina are confident of agreeing on an eight-digit deal plus bonuses for 23-year-old defender Nikola Milenkovic, according to TuttoMercatoWeb.

The Italian news outlet claims all that is left to complete the deal is the commissions that the players’ agents will receive, with West Ham and Fiorentina “optimistic” a deal will be struck that will see the Serie A side receive a £13.5m fee plus bonuses for the Serbia international.

Milenkovic has trained with the La Viola squad today [Tuesday, 10/08/21], but is awaiting the “green light” to leave for London.

Solid deal

This sounds like a very sensible deal, which is very unlike West Ham in recent years.

A highly-rated central defender who has won 28 caps for his national side before his 24th birthday in October, including three at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he could lead the Irons defence for years.

What’s more, he has a pretty unblemished injury record – he has played 105 times in Serie A over the last three seasons, missing just nine games.

With Angelo Ogbonna just coming back from an injury in pre-season and suffering from a few issues last season, it is vital that we have someone who can play a significant number of games, particularly with the Europa League group stage starting next month.

Ogbonna and Craig Dawson were both terrific for large spells last season, but the vastly experienced defenders cannot be relied upon to last the duration of the season, and that’s where Milenkovic and Issa Diop will be crucial.

Having four dependable central defenders will also offer David Moyes the chance to adopt a three-man defence as he has often done in the past, with Aaron Cresswell also an option as a left-sided player.

In other West Ham news, the Irons want to sign this ‘Brilliant’ young attacker who shone on Sky Sports on the weekend.

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