Manchester United make contact for €30 million defender

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: The United Trinity statue is pictured outside the stadium prior to the UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg match between Manchester United and Club Brugge at Old Trafford on February 27, 2020 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: The United Trinity statue is pictured outside the stadium prior to the UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg match between Manchester United and Club Brugge at Old Trafford on February 27, 2020 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The partnership of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof has done very well in the heart of defence for Manchester United this season. But even then, it is felt that this is an area which the Red Devils can improve upon further.

As a result, they have been linked with a number of centre-backs over the course of the past several months. One of them is Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic.

The Serbian is one of the most highly-rated defenders in the Serie A right now. And with his contract set to run out in the summer of 2022, it looks like he could be set to leave Fiorentina at the end of this season.

If that turns out to be the case, there seems to be no lack of interest in his signature. As reported by Calciomercato, Manchester United and West Ham United have taken their first steps with the player’s entourage, showing interest and taking information. Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be evaluating the profile of the defender. AC Milan and Inter Milan are also interested but the financial climate could be a worry for them.

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Milenkovic could be a good signing for Manchester United

Fiorentina are believed to be looking for a transfer fee of around €30 million for Milenkovic. As a result, if the Red Devils are able to sign him, it could prove to be a shrewd move on their part.

The combination of the current financial climate and Manchester United’s need to strengthen in multiple positions means that they might not be able to make too many marquee moves this summer and will have to choose their targets carefully.

There are very few young defenders in the world with the experience and quality of Milenkovic. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has already made 174 appearances at club level, through his time at Fiorentina and FK Partizan Belgrade, while also making 28 appearances for the Serbia national team.

He is not the only defender that the club have been linked with in recent months though as the likes of Raphael Varane, Jules Kounde, Pau Torres and many others are rumoured to be potential targets as well.