According to The Sunday Mirror (14/06, p70), West Ham United are pushing to sign Red Star Belgrade talent Milos Pantovic in a £1.5million deal.
It’s claimed that West Ham have spotted Pantovic playing in the UEFA Youth League, and now want to bring to East London this summer.
Olympiacos and Benfica are also interested though. The Portuguese side have allegedly offered up £500,000 for Pantovic, which has been rejected.
West Ham now intend to move in with an offer of £1.5million, trebling Benfica’s bid. They will hope that Red Star are more satisfied with that price, but it could still be a tough fight.
Pantovic, 17, has come up through the Red Star ranks, and hit one goal in six UEFA Youth League outings this season. He twice played against Tottenham, which may have put him on West Ham’s radar.
Primarily a right-sided winger, Pantovic has been tipped for a bright future. With West Ham’s budget hit by the global pandemic, they may have to move for stars of the future like Pantovic without breaking the bank.
West Ham have focused on that side of recruitment in recent years, bringing in Krisztian Hegyi, Mesaque Dju, Goncalo Cardoso and Xande Silva – and Pantovic could become their latest young addition.
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