According to a recent report by the Sun, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær is about to hold talks with Ed Woodward over the possibility of a £45m deal for Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic during this January transfer window. The same report has also revealed the new United interim boss will have a strong say on the transfer dealings conducted by the club this month despite only being in charge at Old Trafford until the end of this campaign.
The Serbian centre-back has put in a number of impressive displays at the back for Fiorentina during the course of this campaign and his stellar form in defence has helped the club climb to the 10th place of the Serie A standings, 16 points clear of the relegation zone.
Milenkovic has featured in 18 matches for the Florence outfit this term and has two goals to his name in the Serie A. At the tender age of 21; he has managed to secure ten international caps for the Serbian national team so far.
The 21-year-old grew up in his homeland of Serbia before coming through the youth ranks of Partizan Belgrade. He had a half a season loan spell at Teleoptik before finally making a big switch to Fiorentina in the summer of 2017.
Milenkovic is quite versatile and primarily plays as a centre-back but is also quite capable of filling in as a right-back which makes him an incredible asset for Fiorentina. The Belgrade born prospect is a defensive powerhouse due to his ability to win a lot of aerial duels by overpowering his opponents at both ends of the pitch. He has also developed a knack for making some well-timed tackles inside his own half as he remains calm under pressure.
The addition of the Serbian starlet will undoubtedly bolster Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s defensive options at The Theatre of Dreams. The Norwegian head coach has currently got some talented defenders in his ranks such as Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Marcos Rojo who are all fighting for a place in the Man United first-team.
The Red Devils should strongly consider bringing the Serbian talent to Old Trafford as Milenkovic’s acquisition will arguably be an upgrade over any of them. Moreover, he will also add some much-needed competition for positions within Solskjær’s squad.
