Lazio have identified Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Leander Dendoncker as the ‘dream’ signing this summer, with Calciomercato reporting that a Belgian international could replace the Tottenham linked Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at the Stadio OIimpico.
While one is a defensively-minded operator as opposed to a forward-thinking play-maker who is apparently ‘better than Pogba’ and reminiscent of a prime-era Zinedine Zidane, there are a few similarities between Dendoncker and Milinkovic-Savic.
Both are powerful specimens with the technical ability to match their fearsome physical prowess.
And, although Dendoncker has been utilised in a ball-winning role at Molineux, playing in Nuno’s favoured back three at times, the 25-year-old thrived as a box-to-box dynamo at Anderlecht.
So while the £16 million Wolves ace doesn’t exactly feel like an obvious replacement for the talismanic Milinkovic-Savic, there is method to what you might deem madness on Lazio’s part.
Calciomercato suggests that Lazio could look to raid Molineux if the man known as ‘The Sergeant’ finally bids farewell. Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham are interested, according to the Mail, with Milinkovic-Savic apparently available for a bargain £50 million; well short of the nine-figure sum that has been mooted in previous windows.
Wolves might have a successor of their own lined up too.
O Jogo reports that the Premier League high-flyers are in talks to sign Palhinha, the Sporting Lisbon-owned enforcer who impressed against Wolves for Braga in the Europa League recently.
A hard-working, adaptable midfielder who averages 3.5 tackles per game, while possessing the technical skills to play further forwards, could ensure life without Dendoncker is not too difficult for Wolves fans to imagine.
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