According to Angelo Giorgetti, West Ham agreed a deal for Newcastle target Nikola Milenkovic in 2021, although the move eventually collapsed.
What’s the story?
Well, it was Calciomercato who revealed that Newcastle recently held talks with the £38m man, and they’ll be hoping for a better outcome than West Ham experienced.
According to Giorgetti, it was Milenkovic who decided against a move to the Premier League with West Ham.
Speaking to TuttoJuve, the Italian journalist said: “I really don’t know. I can only say that Milenkovic is a high-level defender who rejected West Ham last summer – the deal was practically done – and is very close to Vlahovic.”
It sounds like David Moyes came extremely close to luring the 24-year-old away from Florence, although the pursuit failed at the final hurdle.
Since the move failed, Milenkovic has gone from strength to strength in Serie A.
The Serbia international has made 26 appearances in all competitions for Fiorentina, scoring three goals.
West Ham will have to fight off Newcastle
In our view, West Ham may regret not wrapping up a deal for Milenkovic in 2021, as Newcastle have since been taken over by Saudi Arabian owners.
Now, the Magpies are the richest club on the planet, and few teams – if any – would feel confident heading into a bidding war against them.
In that respect, West Ham will need to put forward a very convincing offer to lure Milenkovic to east London rather than Tyneside.
In our view, it may come down to sporting reasons.
If the Irons can secure a place in the Champions League, then the Fiorentina No.4 might be tempted to choose them over Newcastle, where he’d earn millions, but wouldn’t partake in European football for a few years, we believe.
Keep an eye on this saga, as anything could happen this summer.
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