Arsenal face fierce competition for star midfielder

Tom Weber

• Updated: 24 Jun 2023 16:36 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal will face fierce competition in their bid to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, according to Italian media.

It's transfer season, so you know exactly what that means: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is being linked with a move to the Premier League again. We have seen this before, year after year, but this summer could be different.

The Lazio star reportedly wants out and with his contract expiring next year, the Italian club might be tempted to cash in on the 28-year-old. The Serbian midfielder allegedly has no intention of signing a new deal, already communicating this decision some time ago.

Arsenal are once again said to be interested in Milinkovic-Savic, but they are not the only ones.

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A three-way battle?

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Gunners are rivalled in their interest by Inter and Juventus. The latter could yet lose Adrien Rabiot this summer, and if this transpires, Max Allegri and company will launch a bid for the Lazio man.

The report further claims that Lazio are asking for €40 million for their star midfielder. Juventus would throw in Luca Pellegrini, who spent the second half of last season on loan at the Stadio Olimpico, in order to get a cheaper deal.

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Though €40m is far from a trifling sum, this would make him a cheaper option for Arsenal than some other names. His age, however, could prove to be a problem given that the Gunners are mainly targeting young talent.

Besides Declan Rice, who remains Mikel Arteta's priority target, Arsenal are said to be interested in Romeo Lavia, who would reportedly command a fee of €58m.

As for Inter, faced with the threat of losing Marcelo Brozovic, they are also said to be eyeing Milinkovic-Savic, though whether they could compete if a bidding war were to develop is doubtful given their finances.