Earlier in March, Premier League giants Manchester United sent scouts to monitor the progress and performances of two players during a Serie A match. When Fiorentina welcomed Bologna at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on March 13, two players from either side were closely kept tabs on by observers from the Red Devils – Nikola Milenkovic from the Viola and Mattias Svanberg from the Rossoblu. And it is the latter who has been regularly followed by clubs across Italy and Europe in recent weeks.
Svanberg, 23, experienced his breakthrough season in 2020/21, and has since captured the attention of top clubs, including the sky blue half of Manchester. Apart from the Manchester giants, North London natives Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested in the young Swede, according to Spanish outlet SPORT.
Apart from the English attraction, it is the growing interest in Italy that is gripping attention. From Inter and Milan to Roma and Juventus, all top dogs are keeping close tabs on the talented youngster’s development.
The box-to-box midfielder recently spoke to Swedish newspaper Expressen regarding interest for him from across Europe.
“That’s not something I think about so much. This has been the case for a large part of my career and this is the case for many other players as well. If you play in a provincial club in Italy and do well, there will be bigger clubs on your radar, but that does not mean that they will buy me or try to lure me there,” he said.
With just one year left on his five-year contract, Bologna are expected to cash in on of their most valuable assets, instead of seeing him part ways for free at the end of next campaign. The 23-year-old has a transfermarkt value of €15m, and anything upwards of €20-25m is bound to catch the attention of the Bologna management.