Report: Arsenal have bid £42.3m for ‘astonishingly gifted’ midfielder, his club wants at least £17m more

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Arsenal have been heavily linked with Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in recent weeks.

Though the Gunners have signed Fabio Vieira, it looks like Mikel Arteta wants another midfield reinforcement.

Now, Calciomercato – via Sport Witness – have provided an update on Arsenal’s pursuit of Milinkovic-Savic.

As well as the Gunners, the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle United are also in the race for the 27-year-old.

However, ‘nothing has moved yet’ in terms of a transfer, claimed the report.

Sadly, it gets worse for Arsenal.

The Gunners reportedly made a €50m (£42.3m) bid, but this was ‘not even considered’ by Lazio president Claudio Lotito.

The Biancocelesti chief apparently won’t even sit at the table to discuss a move for offers below €70m (£59.3m).

And even if Arsenal up their bid, Calciomercato then claim Arsenal as a potential new club are ‘not particularly appreciated’ by Milinkovic-Savic.

Newcastle have apparently bid the same amount, but again, Lotito wasn’t looking to do business at £42.3m.

Chelsea seemed to be ‘on the verge’ of presenting an offer to Lazio after Igli Tare travelled to London ten days ago, but nothing has arrived.

‘Can make the ball disappear like a magician’

Milinkovic-Savic looks like an increasingly difficult target for Arsenal to land.

The 27-year-old is a midfielder of the highest calibre who could play for the world’s best clubs.

And he still has two years left on his contract, so both he and his club can be very fussy this summer.

Last season, Milinkovic-Savic registered 22 goal contributions (11 goals, 11 assists) from 37 Serie A games.

He has also lifted three trophies with Lazio – 1 Coppa Italia and 2 Italian Super Cups.

In 2020, 90Min deemed Milinkovic-Savic ‘one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world’.

‘Despite his considerable size, however, the midfielder is astonishingly gifted with the ball at his feet,’ they wrote.

‘Given that his unique talents are well-documented around the world, opponents unsurprisingly double – or sometimes treble up – on the star, hoping to starve him of service and reduce his impact on proceedings.

‘But these attempts are utterly futile. In the blink of an eye, Milinkovic-Savic can make the ball disappear like a magician, hypnotising his markers with lightning footwork before popping it off to a teammate to kickstart an attack.

‘And more often than not, he’ll manage to make a forward pass, even if he finds himself facing his own goal. Athletic stuff for a big man.

‘Milinkovic-Savic also provides an impenetrable shield ahead of his grateful defence, and he has perfected his judgement and timing of a tackle over the last three seasons, now allowing him to dispossess his opponents with precision and incision.

‘And my word, he’s a strong boy. There’s a reason they call him the Sergeant, after all.’