Revealed: The reason Man Utd didn’t sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
FT Desk
- 30 Aug 2022 11:40 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United have been in the market for a new midfielder, but it seems unlikely they’re going to get a new one before the transfer deadline on Thursday evening.
The Red Devils targeted a host of midfielders over the summer, and even spent 17 weeks working on a deal for Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.
They agreed a fee for De Jong, but no move materialized and there were issues over the player’s deferred wages that he is owed by Barcelona.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was another one of the targets for the club, and Manchester United reportedly held talks with his representatives, but no move materialized.
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Lazio demand big fee for Milinkovic-Savic
Lazio were demanding a big fee for the player, something Manchester United were unwilling to pay, and that move too, never happened with interest cooling down from the English club.
Milinkovic-Savic’s agent, Mateja Kezman, has been speaking about the Serbian star’s future, and has revealed why Manchester United didn’t make a move for the player.
He was asked why clubs didn’t make a move for his client, as other such as Juventus were also interested in him, and explained that Lazio were demanding too much money.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic agent Mateja Kezman: “The decision has been made: he will stay at Lazio this summer”, tells @CorSport. 🚨🔵 #transfers
There were never advanced talks to sell Milinković despite rumours.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 29, 2022
“We have often talked about him in the past, but now the Milinkovic-Savic project is too expensive for them (Juventus),” Kezman said about the midfielder’s future.
There was a belief that €100 million was the fee quoted by Lazio President Claudio Lotito, and that put off many clubs across Europe.
Milinkovic-Savic will be happy to stay at Lazio having had so many successful years there – over time, he’s become one of the league’s best players.
He has been linked to Manchester United several times in the past – dating all the way back to the time Jose Mourinho was at Old Trafford – but a concrete move has never been made for the player.
