Chelsea, Real Madrid ‘measure the temperature’ of Sergej Milinković-Savić — report

Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić — ed.note: the Kai Havertz of 2017 — has been a highly coveted transfer target for years, but he has remained out of reach due to his €100m price tag. With COVID-19 pandemic hitting football finances quite hard however, the need to balance the books could overwhelm the need to hold on to such a prized asset. A lower fee for Milinković-Savić’s talents could be just the opening that Chelsea and several other teams need to start contacts with Lazio over his acquisition, as reported by Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness).

As it is often the case in such stories about big-name players, Chelsea are just one of many top clubs linked. The Blues, if we are even interested and not just being used as bait, would face competition from the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain, at least one of whom has “started to move” towards the 25-year-old powerhouse midfielder while others are just “measuring the temperature” of his willingness to leave Lazio. (Can’t be too safe these days!) PSG are said to have bid €60m already, while Chelsea supposedly have Claude Makélélé running point and doing his best convincing, if the French tabloids (via Sport Witness) are to be believed.

Regardless, Chelsea’s priorities probably should lie elsewhere as it feels like we are well set in the midfield department, especially with N’Golo Kanté proving that his footballing peak is not gone already (ed.note: and hopefully his hamstrings and other soft tissues aren’t either). But upgrades are always welcome, especially if they come on a discount.