Lazio talisman Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been the talk of a great deal of transfer reports and rumors over the past couple of seasons, with giants such as Manchester United, Juventus, Arsenal, and Chelsea trailing his signature. Agent Mateja Kezman has come forward and assessed the future of his client, saying it will take a miracle to lure him away from Lazio by deadline day on September 1st.
In an exclusive interview with Corriere dello Sport, the representative discussed the chatter.
“If miracles do not happen in these last three days of transfer market, he will stay at Lazio. Time will tell until when. This summer no club was ready to pay what Claudio Lotito asked for, so I think the situation will not change. It’s not easy to please the president, after Sergej’s great season I was sure a team would come with an offer.”
Kezman further backed the Lazio owner for his business dealings, approving him as the main man who ultimately decides on whether to sell Milinkovic-Savic.
“Italian clubs cannot afford him. Those abroad show great interest, but when they understand how much money is needed, it becomes a problem. I often speak with Lotito, he understands us, but we understand him too. Sometimes I get angry about his decisions. He invested, helped Sergej get along with Igli Tare and Simone Inzaghi to become one of the best. He makes the calls. He was talking about about 100 million and if he looks at how Sergej plays maybe he was right. But Lazio haven’t won big trophies in Europe so I can say that it is too much. I repeat, he is the boss. The player has a top contract, we respect it.”
Transfer reports with suitors such as Manchester United and other Premier League clubs have cooled down over the months, but Kezman gave his own account of the interested English teams.
“Manchester United? Sergej arouses a lot of interest. There have been many talks in the past and recently, but things have not happened for many reasons. Chelsea? Thomas Tuchel likes the player a lot, but they needed a central defender. Arsenal and Newcastle? To be honest, Sergej and I think those options are not for him. In the future, he will want to play in the Champions League every season.”
Speaking of Italian suitors, Juventus were the club most closely linked to Milinkovic-Savic. Even Milan were associated with a transfer.
“Everyone at Juve loves the player. I have talked about him very often in the past. But the reality, at the moment, is that he is too expensive for them. They were clear and correct. The same goes for Milan. Stefano Pioli loves the player, like everybody else at the club. I have great respect for Paolo Maldini, first as a player and now as a director, an honest and straightforward person.”
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