Report: Arsenal willing to pay £42.3m to sign midfielder who ‘can make the ball disappear like a magician’

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Arsenal have done well in the summer transfer window so far.

The Gunners have landed their top attacking target in Gabriel Jesus and a superb midfielder in Fabio Vieira.

Arsenal have also signed talented Brazilian winger Marquinhos and United States goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Now, the Gunners are reportedly looking to get the signing of another top midfielder over the line.

One of Arsenal’s purported transfer targets is arguably one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world.

That player is Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Tuttojuve – via Sport Witness – has claimed that the Gunners are ‘ready for anything’ in their efforts to sign him.

Apparently, Arsenal ‘would offer’ €50m (£42.3m) to land the Serbia international.

However, Tuttojuve makes it clear that Lazio president Claudio Lotito is known for being a tough negotiator.

He won’t change that stance for Milinkovic-Savic, the undisputed star of the side and someone he does not want to sell.

Instead, Lotito is ‘trying to make as much money as possible’ from a potential sale of the 27-year-old.

Nonetheless, Milinkovic-Savic is ‘attracting the attention’ of Arsenal.

Indeed, they would reportedly like to turn him into one of the big names of this summer Premier League transfer window.

While this report doesn’t mention whether £42.3m would be enough for Milinkovic-Savic, other reports have suggested Lazio value him at a much higher price.

Calciomercato – via Sport Witness – recently claimed the Lazio chief won’t even sit at the table to discuss a move for anything below €70m (£59.3m).

‘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 afford to be picky regarding a transfer.

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.’