Chelsea report: Lazio director gauges interest in Man United and Newcastle target
Lazio's sporting director travelled to England this week to gauge interest in Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Lazio sporting director Igli Tare travelled to England this week to gauge interest in midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle, say reports.
The Serbia international has long been linked with a move away from Rome, but the Serie A club have stood firm in demanding a fee that reflects his talent.
According to Calciomercato.com, Tare has returned to Italy after four days in London, where he scoped out potential moves for Chelsea trio Kepa Arrizabalaga, Emerson Palmieri and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
All three played under Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri during the 2018/19 season at Stamford Bridge, when the Italian led the Blues to the Europa League title.
However, Tare was also sounding out interest in Milinkovic-Savic, who the Roman club would be willing to sell for a fee of €60-65m (£51-56m) this summer.
United have shown the most interest in the 27-year-old, but Chelsea and Newcastle could also enter the race.
Lazio need to raise funds in the transfer market before they can start to make signings, due to Serie A’s financial rules.
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Selling Milinkovic-Savic would solve that problem, but they will be reluctant to let their star man go without bringing in a significant fee.
The Serbian had a sensational season under Sarri in 2021/22, providing 11 goals and 11 assists from midfield as the Aquile finished fifth.
Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.