Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho appears to have his sights set on a ‘dream’ splash this summer as fresh reports have developed over the past few days.
According to Foot Mercato, Spurs are the latest club keen on Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and they may be able to afford him should the club offload some of the current squad members.
The Portuguese boss has long-admired the Serb international having pursued him during his time at Manchester United and he now sees him as a perfect solution for his midfield troubles.
Should Spurs break the bank for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?
Absolutely!
No way!
Milinkovic-Savic is one of the most dynamic and gifted players in Europe right now, which is summed up by further interest in him from the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea and both Manchester clubs.
During the 2019/20 campaign, the 25-year-old has provided six goals and five assists across Serie A and the Europa League, via WhoScored, whilst he has also averaged 2.1 shots, 1.9 tackles, 1.6 clearances, 1.3 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game.
That only goes to show the level of tenacity he possesses.
To add to that, he’s been compared to legendary midfielder Zinedine Zidane by his agent, former Chelsea forward Mateja Kezman, who said in 2018:
“When Sergej came to Italy, he was compared with Pogba, because at that moment it was probably the easiest comparison to make in terms of characteristics.
“I do really respect Pogba, let’s be clear, and other linkers who can run and work for the team, but I think now Sergej has different and better quality than Pogba.”
“He has remarkable attributes and you’ll not find another player in the world with that power, muscular structure and height combined with technique and tactical awareness. He has the touch of a Brazilian and some of the things he does remind me of Zinedine Zidane.
“I’ve played with Arjen Robben, Frank Lampard and some of the best in Europe and I think Sergej can surpass them if he keeps this up. He could soon be a candidate for the Ballon d’Or.”
Better than Pogba, a new Zidane? You can’t get better plaudits than that. Maybe he’s ought to be Mourinho’s new Lampard? It’s clearly not worked out with Tanguy Ndombele thus far.
But how much is the Lazio superstar likely to command? Well, Transfermarkt currently value him at £57.6m whilst the Serie A outfit’s sporting director Igli Tare claimed that the club wouldn’t move from their €100m (£90.5m) price tag despite their willingness to listen to offers this summer.