Jose Mourinho has made Sergej Milinkovic-Savic his dream signing at Tottenham Hotspur, according to FootMercato – though Lazio will demand £90 million for the talismanic midfielder.
It seems that the admiration between a two-time Champions League-winning coach and a Serbian powerhouse is very much mutual.
Speaking to The Mirror in 2018, Milinkovic-Savic was thrilled to learn that Mourinho, then of Manchester United, wanted him at Old Trafford.
“I was pleased that a coach of his stature came to watch the match,” a 6ft 4ins playmaker who has been compared to not only Paul Pogba but the legendary Zinedine Zidane too.
With those gushing comments still fresh in the memory, you would imagine that Milinkovic-Savic would have at least some interest in joining Mourinho at Tottenham this summer, even if the London giants have slipped from their lofty perch in the last 18 months.
FootMercato claims that the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss has identified a tank of a midfielder known as ‘the Sergeant’ as the ideal candidate to add some guile and grit to a Spurs side who have struggled for rhythm since Christian Eriksen’s departure.
But while Mourinho might be used to getting what he wants in the transfer market, spending obscene sums at many of his former clubs, the forever-glowering gaffer is unlikely to have his dreams realised by Daniel Levy in north London.
After all, Spurs have a space-age new stadium to pay off.
And football’s ongoing financial crisis means that the 2019 Champions League finalists will not have ‘rivers of money’ to spend in the summer – as Mourinho himself admits.
So with Lazio reluctant to drop their £90 million asking price, the Milinkovic-Savic, Mourinho alliance will have to wait (Calciomercato).
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