Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been heavily rumored to leave Lazio in the summer, but team president Claudio Lotito pumped the brakes: “He is not up for sale. The journalists always talk about money, but I care more about technical and moral values. I esteem him a lot. He has never been made available on the transfer market.”
The owner did not completely shut the door on the departure of his ace in an interview with Rai Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), though: “If a top club requested him, I would ask him what he wants to do. The human value comes before the economic one in my club. I once turned down a €140M offer for him. It was a unique case in the history of the world. Respect is lacking nowadays. If he tells me that he wishes to have the opportunity to move to a completely different team, which must be a world-class one, then I will pose myself the question of what to do.”
On top of dishing on Milinkovic-Savic, Lotito stated that Maurizio Sarri would keep helming Lazio: “He has another year on his contract. Nobody has ever doubted his permanence. I hold him in high regard professionally speaking, especially for his dedication to football. He lives for it and focuses on it all day. It is a positive element. It makes our players grow and it empowers them toward reaching our objective. Serie A has been particularly balanced and entertaining this season, as a few sides raised their level.”