In the pursuit to find the next best midfielder for their squad, Chelsea have been linked with the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Ibrahim Sangare and Declan Rice this year. But with Tchouameni now a Real Madrid player and Rice's huge price tag, the Blues have been exploring other options, one of which is reportedly Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
It's not the first time Chelsea have been linked with the Lazio midfielder. Milinkovic-Savic was one of Maurizio Sarri's prime targets in 2018. He was also again linked with the Blues in 2019 despite the club serving a transfer ban that summer. And let's not forget Jose Mourinho was once lusting over the robust midfielder once upon a time. In that period, his valuation has ranged between £70 million and £115 million.
After almost eight years with Lazio, Milinkovic-Savic is moving closer to the end of his contract, which expires in 2024. With his current valuation at £63million, he could be a cheaper, more experienced transfer option. Unfortunately, with Thomas Tuchel having £200m to spend in the transfer window and with an entire squad to rebuild, £63m may be asking for too much. Luckily, Chelsea can throw in some players to sweeten the deal.
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Milinkovic-Savic is a coach's midfield dream. He has technique on the ball whilst occupying the central midfielder role and can get his hands dirty when necessary. The natural balance between his defensive capabilities and attacking makes him the complete midfielder that Chelsea could use. Of course, when you have a player like N'Golo Kante on your side, it's difficult to find a midfielder that would bring even more to the team, but Savic could come close.
The Blues may lose one of Jorginho or Kante this summer as their contracts are set to expire in 2023. It's now or never for Chelsea to decide on their futures, but in the process, they must trust that the midfield is filled adequately. I would have loved a move for Rice in this summer's transfer window but the harsh reality is that the £100m asking price is way too much for Chelsea as they enter into a new era.
Milinkovic-Savic's £63 million asking price is also costly but Lazio are reportedly interested in two players that could lower the fee. According to Corriere dello Sport, the Biancocelesti are said to be interested in Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. That comes as no surprise as Sarri, now in charge at the Stadio Olimpico, had a positive relationship with Loftus-Cheek during his season at Stamford Bridge.
Considering Barcelona are currently levying a move for Marcos Alonso, and Jorginho and Kante's contracts run out next summer, it would not be wise for the Blues to let go of Emerson or Loftus-Cheek without an incentive. Ben Chilwell is also still in the process of recovering from injury leaving Tuchel's left-back options rather scarce.
As a fan, I would not mind letting go of either Emerson or Loftus-Cheek. I am more focused on a give-and-take tactic that Chelsea could deploy when negotiating for Savic if it is to get to that point.
