Fiorentina defender Milenkovic has impressed at the World Cup so far and Everton should make their move.
As the World Cup continues, gripping the hearts of football fans around the world, many had their eyes on Serbia; specifically reported Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The 23-year-old Lazio midfielder has been decent so far but has failed to shine in a way that he was perhaps expected to.
However, one of Serbia’s standout performers has been 20-year-old Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic. The 6ft 4ins centre-back, who can also be deployed as a right-back, signed for Fiorentina from Serbian side FK Partizan in 2017, for a fee of around £4.59 million.
The defender has been a constant asset for both his club and national side over the past year and his physical presence plays no small part in this.
His height and strength make him an important piece in winning aerial duels, with an average of 2.5 aerials won per game in the 2017/18 season.
As Everton have sold Ramiro Funes Mori, and with the somewhat lacklustre performances of Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams, the Toffees need a new centre-back to star alongside Michael Keane. And Milenkovic could be the ideal signing that the Merseyside club need.
TransferMarkt value the Serbian centre-back at £8.1 million and Fiorentina would likely not part with him for any less than £20 million.
However, this would be a small price to pay for the player who could be considered to be the next Nemanja Vidic.
Everton need to get it right this summer after a poor overall transfer window this time last year, and making a potentially bargain move for one of the World Cup’s unsung heroes would be a step in the right direction, especially with defence being a key area of weakness for the Toffees last season.
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