Manchester United are understood to have revived their interest in signing Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina this summer, a report from Gianluca di Marzio claims.
The Serbia international was heavily linked with the Red Devils during the 2019 winter transfer window, but they could not persuade the Serie A outfit to part ways with the defender.
According to Gianluca di Marzio, the Mancunian giants are said to have renewed their pursuit of the 21-year-old with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen on strengthening the heart of the club’s backline.
The same publication reveals that United were willing to pay £36m (€40m) for the centre-back last winter, but the offer was not sufficient with La Viola wanting around £45m (€50m) for their young defender.
Solskjaer has underlined the need to bolster the central defensive department following a frustrating 2018/2019 campaign where the Red Devils conceded 54 goals in the Premier League alone.
Leicester City’s Harry Maguire has been earmarked as the prime target for the Red Devils, but so far, they have not managed to find the breakthrough, with the Foxes declining bids of £65m and £70m respectively.
Still, it appears that United have not given up on signing the England international and Sky Sports News claims that an improved third offer of £75m may be sufficient to convince the Foxes into doing business.
Elsewhere, Milenkovic could be available for a much lesser sum compared to Maguire, but the Red Devils may not want to gamble on a defender, who may take time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League.
Statistically, Maguire is the better choice with experience under his belt, and during the recent league campaign, he managed to win 3.8 (whoscored) aerial duels per game compared to Milenkovic’s 3.2. In terms of the distribution, he had a 85.9 percent accuracy which was likewise superior to Milenkovic (79.9).
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