With a perennially underachieving Fiorentina side sleepwalking into a relegation battle, the last thing manager Cesare Prandelli needed was to see one of his star players reject a new contract.
La Viola director Daniel Prade recently claimed Nikola Milenkovic would be sold in 2021 if he decided against putting pen to paper on a new, long-term deal.
According to Calciomercato, that has now come to pass with the Serbia international convinced his long-term future lies away from Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Reports in Italy claim Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and AC Milan are interested in a commanding, combative centre-half often compared to legendary compatriot Nemanja Vidic.
West Ham, meanwhile, made a £27 million bid for Milenkovic before the October transfer deadline. Fiorentina want closer to £36 million.
But, with the 6ft 5in defender seemingly entering his final few months (or even weeks) in that iconic purple shirt, Prandelli looks set to lose not only his best defender but also a reliable source of goals.
Milenkovic has scored twice in 11 Serie A matches this season – and ten since the start of 2018/19.
That means he’s the youngest defender to hit double figures in one of Europe’s major leagues in that time-frame.
Like the legendary Vidic, Milenkovic is clearly a defender equally adept in both boxes.
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