Premier League pair Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United made ‘multimillion’ pound bids for Partizan Belgrade starlet Marko Milovanovic during the January transfer window, according Republika.
With just 18 months left on his contract, one of the biggest and most historic footballing institutions in Eastern Europe are doing their level best to ensure that, when Milovanovic does leave, he won’t be going anywhere on the cheap.
Partizan, 27-time champions of the Serbian top-flight, plan to offer their 18-year-old whizzkid a new deal until 2025.
The Belgrade giants feel that Milovanovic would benefit from three more seasons of first-team football, honing his talents and increasing his price-tag.
The 6ft 5ins centre-forward, one suspects, will find minutes easier to come by in Serbia. Wolves and Newcastle both submitted seven-figure bids in the January window without success.
Anderlecht and Eredivisie champions Ajax are interested too.
Mozzart Sport, meanwhile, claims that Wolves offered £5 million. The men from Molineux also purported to include a 20 per cent sell-on clause in Milovanovic’s contract.
Partizan said no, obviously feeling that they will be in a position to demand far more than £5 million once the Serbia U19 international develops his game further.
Is Marko Milovanovic the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
“I like the Bundesliga. I’m thinking about it,” Milovanovic tells Kurir.
The rangy centre-forward is likened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and was born in the same town as Aleksandr Mitrovic.
“However, I’m not a typical striker. I would definitely like (to play in) a league where open and attacking football is played.”
Newcastle spent over £90 million in the January transfer window. More than any other Premier League side.
But while the Magpies prioritised proven, established top-flight operators with their top-flight status at risk – Matt Targett, Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood and Dan Burn – their long-term strategy revolves around exciting, up-and-coming talent with their peak years ahead of them.
Like Milovanovic, for instance.
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