Lazar Samardzic: Why I rejected Barcelona and Milan
Robin Bairner
- 18 Sep 2022 09:45 CDT
- 3 min read
Udinese midfielder Lazar Samardzic has revealed that he had the opportunity to sign for Barcelona and Milan – but he turned the offers from these clubs down.
The 20-year-old was scouted by the European giants in 2020, when he was still playing with Hertha Berlin. A lack of game time had led him to seek a new club and in September of that year, he joined up with RB Leipzig.
Once again he struggled for game time, and after just seven appearances he moved on to play for Udinese, where he is under contract until 2026.
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On the verge of a big breakthrough
The Germany Under-21 international has scored in back-to-back Serie A matches against Roma and Sassuolo, already equalling his goal tally from last season. And even if he has not made the big breakthrough that he might have wished, he has no regrets in turning down these clubs.
“We came to Milan with the whole family. We talked to Paolo Maldini, but I didn’t feel like having an experience in a big city at that time. Barcelona came to my house instead. With Patrick Kluivert. But I chose Leipzig, it was an hour from home. And it was a good choice,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Most lethal player from outside the box in the world currently https://t.co/4d7vmW1xpG pic.twitter.com/bLEIcDHajP
— ⛓ (@SamardzicFlair) September 11, 2022
The left-sided player is noted for his attacking attributes and in particular his passing abilities. Indeed, the quality of his short passing is likely one of the things that attracted Barcelona to him in the first place.
He has struggled to settle at any club he has been at , but recent performances suggest that he is poised to make a significant step up imminently.
Samardzic is valued at €5 million by FootballTransfers, which is a significant increase on the €3m fee that Udinese paid RB Leipzig for him back in the summer of 2021.
