REVEALED: Serie A giants rejected €140m bid for long-term Man Utd target

Cameron Smith

• 11 Jul 2023 18:22 BST
• 3 min read

Lazio president Claudio Lotito has revealed that he rejected AC Milan’s bid of €140 million for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic back in 2018 as the Serbian international prepares for a Saudi Arabia move.

Milinkovic-Savic, 28, has been linked with a move away from Lazio for half a decade, with Premier League giants Manchester United repeatedly rumoured to be interested in him.

In fact, the Red Devils have constantly been linked with the Lazio star since 2018, the year of Milan’s eye-watering bid.

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According to the Manchester Evening News, Erik ten Hag’s side even considered making a move for Milinkovic-Savic last summer after missing out on dream target Frenkie de Jong. They decided against it eventually and have already purchased Mason Mount from Chelsea this summer to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

Now, the midfielder looks set to join Saudi Arabian Pro League side Al-Hilal, who have already signed Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly this summer. The pair have arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea respectively.

Milinkovic-Savic is set to earn a net salary of €15 million a year in Saudi Arabia, and will sign a contract that will run until 2026, with an option for a further 12 months. Al-Hilal are willing to pay €40 million for his services and reports suggest that an agreement is close to being finalised.

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Milinkovic-Savic joined Lazio from KRC Genk in 2015 and appears on the verge of finally departing the club eight years later.

With news of the player’s imminent transfer away from Lazio, Lotito told Il Messaggero: “In 2018, I rejected a €140M bid from AC Milan for him… and I’ve no regrets about that.”

Milan wanted Milinkovic-Savic

According to Lotito, Milan offered a fee that would’ve ranked third in the all-time list of the world’s most expensive transfer fees. If Lazio had accepted, then Milan’s reported bid would only have been bettered by Neymar and Kylian Mbappe - both of whom joined Paris Saint-Germain.

Instead, Milan signed Lucas Paqueta from Flamengo for €38m in the summer of 2018, while Tiemoue Bakayoko also joined on loan.