Not long ago, former Partizan Belgrade manager Ivica Iliev was asked about the fair price for Fiorentina’s Serbian international defender Nikola Milinkovic.
“He can easily play for clubs like Manchester United, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich,” replied Ilyev. Milinkovic is already ready for these teams.
£40m for Milinkovic would be fair. (He has) incredible potential.”
Fast forward to August 2022, and with less than 12 months remaining on his contract with Fiorentina, this same player is now available for a fraction of the £40m proposed by Iliev.
It’s a risk worth taking with West Ham
According to Firenze Viola, £12m could be enough to twist Fiorentina’s arm. Tottenham and Chelsea have held talks with a representative of Milinkovic. Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus are also participating in the competition.
But what about West Ham United? A team came close to acquiring the 24-year-old’s signature after making a £14m bid in August 2021 (Sky Sports).
“It was already done; ‘Nikola Milinkovic to West Ham,’” Fabrizio Romano explained at the time. They decided to sign Kurt Zouma weeks later, but were more than close to Nikola Milinkovic.
“It was in the final stages. West Ham changed their minds with David Moyes and the board at the last minute.
“West Ham wanted him. They had an agreement with Fiorentina. It was about the player’s contract and the final details. It was about personal relationships with Milinkovic and his agent, and then the deal fell apart.”
With all those dramas still vivid in the memory, she this is Why would West Ham stay away from Milinkovic throughout the summer of 2022? Maybe so. It is certainly difficult to think of any other reasons why West Ham would not be in the market for defensive reinforcements to achieve a long-term goal now available to them. less than the Hammers were willing to pay 12 months ago.
There is still time to change course. There are more than three weeks before the window closes. And Milinkovic, at just £12m, is definitely worth another look.
In other news, Keun Itit sent a sincere message to Tottenham after completing the final exit