Manchester United battle Tottenham Hotspur for €35 million defender

Defence has been a key area of weakness for Manchester United for a few seasons now. Harry Maguire was signed for £80 million from Leicester City in hopes that he would solidify the backline.

Unfortunately for the Red Devils, the Englishman has not had the impact that they would have expected, especially for a defender they shelled out a world record transfer fee for. Thus, they might be back in the transfer market for a centre-back once again, this time to find Maguire a partner at the heart of defence.

Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic has reportedly been earmarked as one of their top targets in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Red Devils have been linked with the Serbian defender on-and-off since the time Jose Mourinho was the manager of the club.

Thus, perhaps it is unsurprising that Tottenham Hotspur are also in the running for Milenkovic’s signature, as reported vby Italian daily La Nazione (via Inside Futbol).

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Manchester United are reportedly after Milenkovic

The Red Devils will reportedly try to sign the €35 million-rated Serbian defender in the summer. And with a little over a year left on his contract, it is likely that Fiorentina would not be opposed to the move either.

While it is still possible that he could sign an extension with La Viola, with the Italian side sitting at 14th on the Serie A table, it is likely that he will be looking towards a different challenge in the upcoming season. Thus, the Red Devils could have a great chance to sign a long-term target although Tottenham Hotspur are expected to mount a challenge for his signature.

At 23 years of age, he already has 164 senior appearances at club level and is a regular for the Serbian national team already. As a result, it could be a shrewd move on the part of the Manchester United if they manage to bring him to Old Trafford, especially for the transfer fee that he has been reported to be available for.