Manchester United and Tottenham ‘will scrap for £23m-rated Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic in January’ after the Serbian’s solid displays for Serie A outfit this season
- Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic is ‘attracting interest from United and Tottenham’
- The towering Serbian defender has impressed at the back for the Serie A side
- Reports in Italy claim Spurs have already submitted a bid for the 23-year-old
Manchester United and Tottenham will battle it out to sign Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic, reports claim.
The towering Serbia star has caught the attention of clubs across Europe after some solid displays in the heart of Fiorentina’s defence. He has been an ever-present for the team in Serie A this season – featuring in all 14 games so far.
His performances have not gone unnoticed, according to Italian outlet La Nazione, who report that United and Spurs are now ready to scrap for his signature.
Nikola Milenkovic is attracting interest from Tottenham and Manchester United, reports claim
United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left) and Spurs’ Jose Mourinho (right) want reinforcements
Milenkovic, who began his career at Serbian outfit Partizan, is rated at around £23million by the Italian club as both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bid to bolster their back lines in January.
Solskjaer oversaw a poor start to the season after failing to bring in the centre-back the club were looking for this summer, with his side guilty of some horrific displays in defence – including in a 6-1 thrashing at home to Tottenham.
As for Mourinho, he had taken Spurs to the top of the league for some time this season before lapses at the back have seen them fall down the standings.
The towering defender has stood out with his dominant displays at the back for Fiorentina
He will be looking to add to his current options of Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez – with the Colombian struggling to get into the side at present. The report adds that Spurs have already submitted an offer for Milenkovic with the January transfer window opening in the next week.
Spurs attempted to sign Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar in the summer but were put off his asking price of around £40m.
Milenkovic is an established Serbian international with 26 caps and has already surpassed 100 appearances for Fiorentina despite being at a relatively young age. He joined in 2017 for a modest fee of £4.5m and is now a crucial member of the side, but the club are now bracing for his departure.
