Arsenal are “willing to do anything” to sign Lazio playmaker Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, according to Fichajes.net.
The Spanish rumour mongers claim that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has “asked” his club to make a “significant economic effort” to secure the Serbian’s signature.
Milinkovic-Savic has a year left on his contract at Lazio and it has been reported that his club are prepared to sell him for only €35m (£30m), including bonuses, this summer.
Fichajes report that Arteta would actually be willing to pay as much as €50m (£43m) for the midfielder, as he rates him so highly. Whether that is actually true, it seems doubtful.
Arsenal have already signed a replacement for Xhaka
Milinkovic-Savic has been touted as Granit Xhaka’s successor for quite a while. The 28-year-old was tipped to make a move to the Emirates last year but a deal never materialised.
Since then, though, the Gunners have looked at other options, and it is now believed that Chelsea’s Kai Havertz will be signed to play as a left-sided eight, with Arteta looking to convert him into a midfielder.
There is no doubting Milinkovic-Savic’s quality
The Serbian international has been consistently excellent for Lazio over the years. Last campaign, he racked up 19 goals and assists, so his availability for such a low fee should attract interest from plenty of clubs.
Newcastle, Juventus and Inter Milan have been credited with an interest in Milinkovic-Savic and, while he could still join one of those teams, it appears a move to Arsenal is very unlikely, unless Arteta wants to stack his squad with midfielders.
In addition to Havertz, the Gunners are also determined to land West Ham’s Declan Rice, while there are reports that an approach for Southampton’s Romeo Lavia will be made if the club can offload Thomas Partey in the coming weeks.
