West Ham United to face competition from up to three teams in race to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
West Ham United could face competition from up to three other teams for the services of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in the summer, according to Dean Jones.
The Sun reported [18 February] that the Hammers have the Serbian player on their radar as a long-term replacement for Declan Rice at the London Stadium if he leaves the club at the end of the season.
And former Eurosport journalist Jones has now suggested that a move to the Premier League is the next step in his career after spending the last seven seasons at Serie A outfit Lazio, but that West Ham will face a host of competition.
When speaking on the Hammers’ chances of signing the 27-year-old, he told GiveMeSport: “The issue with Milinkovic-Savic is he’s always linked with clubs in England and, so far, he has never landed.
“Right now, he has got a really big decision to make, coming up, in the summer. I know there are at least three clubs that are interested in signing him, possibly four.
“This is going to be the moment for him, with his deal running down, to decide whether to do it or not. I think if he passes it up now, it might never happen. But maybe it’s time.”
Blockbuster
Milinkovic-Savic has previously been valued at £89million by Forbes, so this would certainly be a huge coup if the club could lure him to East London. The club need to find a successor to Rice pretty sharpish come the end of the season, with Tomas Soucek a shadow of his former self and few other players throwing their hands up for selection in the middle of the park.
Despite the sky-high valuation above, it is likely to have dropped quite significantly considering the Serbian is in the last year of his contract at Lazio. The Hammers may not have the same lure as Champions League participating clubs, but they will certainly have a war chest to match any team in Europe if they do sell Rice this summer.
At 27, Milinkovic-Savic appears to fit the bill for a high-profile replacement while still with plenty of years ahead of him. Despite this, it still remains a long shot for West Ham United to snap up his services for next season.