The talented young centre-back is joining Fiorentina just a few weeks after reports linked him with Celtic and Newcastle United.
While Celtic’s need for a new centre half doesn’t exactly appear a pressing issue at the moment, the fact is that the situation could change quite rapidly in the summer.
Kolo Toure’s career is winding down while, according to the Evening Times, Leicester City were very interested in Erik Sviatchenko (above) in January. The Danish defender turned down the champions’ advances for now but, once Celtic secure the title, who’s to say he won’t view a move to England in a different light?
Like The Bhoys, Newcastle United are top of their domestic league, the English championship, with four proven defenders at their disposal. However, Grant Hanley and Chancel Mbemba are out of favour and have been linked with the exit in recent months while club captain Jamaal Lascelles has come under fire from some sections of the support following a number of high-profile mistakes.
Consequently, both Celtic and Newcastle may be disappointed to learn that Partizan Belgrade centre-back Nikola Milenkovic is joining Serie A giants Fiorentina in the summer for £4.4 million, as reported by ESPN.
The 19-year-old has shot to fame in his first professional season with the Serbian club and, according to the Daily Record, Celtic had sent scouts to watch his side in action recently with Brendan Rodgers keen to cast the club’s net wide in order to discover under-the-radar bargains from untapped foreign markets.
And Vesi Sport claimed just a few weeks earlier that Newcastle too were keeping tabs on Milenkovic as Rafael Benitez aims to build a squad capable of thriving in the Premier League.
However, Milenkovic will move to Italy instead at the end of the season and, still in his teenage years, you wonder whether Celtic or Newcastle could regret not snapping him up on a bargain fee.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
