Manchester United have been handed a potential boost in their transfer pursuit of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after Sergio Ramos urged Real Madrid not to go after him.
The Serbia international has shone for Lazio in recent times, establishing himself as one of the finest players in Europe in his position and one who could make an upgrade on most of United’s options.
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With Paul Pogba struggling, Michael Carrick preparing to retire in the summer, and Marouane Fellaini nearing the end of his contract, it’s little surprise to see a new midfielder is on the agenda.
The Sun have linked the Red Devils with a big-money move for the 23-year-old in recent times, and now Don Balon suggest that Real Madrid may be discouraged from spending so much on him.
The Spanish outlet claim Ramos is unsure over the deal, likely to cost as much as €150million, given that Real are relatively well-stocked in that area of the pitch.
Zinedine Zidane already has Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro as among his options to choose from in the middle, while defence and attack look more like areas of weakness.
Players like Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Keylor Navas and Raphael Varane have perhaps under-performed this season and could do with replacing more than any of the club’s midfield men.
United will hope this gives them less of an obstacle to go after the extremely talented Milinkovic-Savic themselves.