According to a recent report by the Mirror, Fiorentina has told Manchester United that they won’t sanction the sale of Nikola Milenkovic this month. The same report claims that the Italian outfit are not willing to allow the player to make a switch away from Florence during this ongoing transfer window but could be open to listening to offers at the end of this campaign.
The Mirror mentions a source close to Fiorentina who said, ”Nikola won’t move in January. He will see the season out at the Artemio Franchi [Fiorentina’s stadium] and then, if he does leave, he is likely to command a very high fee of around £50m.”
This recent development will be a massive blow to Man United’s hopes of landing the player in January. The Red Devils are in dire need of a quality defender at the back with none of their first-team defenders managing to find consistency with their performances on the pitch this season.
The Serbian defensive ace has put in a string of commanding displays at the back for Stefano Pioli’s team this campaign and his stellar form in defence has helped the club climb to the 10th spot of the Serie A table, 13 points above the relegation zone. The 21-year-old has made 18 appearances for Fiorentina this term and has two goals to his name so far. At such a young age; he has managed to earn ten international caps for the Serbian national side due to his defensive qualities on the pitch.
The Serbian international is also capable of playing in multiple positions in defence. He primarily operates as a centre-half but can also fill in as a right-back which makes him such a valuable asset for Fiorentina. The Belgrade born wonderkid is a defensive powerhouse due to his aerial prowess which helps him overpower his opponents at both ends of the field. He can also read the game well and can make timely interceptions inside his own half when put under pressure by the opposition forwards.
The addition of Milenkovic would have significantly bolstered Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s defensive options at the red half of Manchester. The Norwegian head coach has already got the likes of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Marcos Rojo in his ranks who are all battling for a place in the Man United starting XI. However, the Serbian defender would have been an upgrade over any of them which makes Fiorentina’s stance this month a bitter pill to swallow for Ed Woodward and co. at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are better off giving up on his chase for now and concentrate on signing some of their other transfer targets during this January transfer window.
