Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly in the hunt to sign 24-year-old Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic from Serie A club Fiorentina.
According to Italian outlet La Nazione, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the clubs in the mix to sign Nikola Milenkovie this summer, and they can use playmaker Giovani Lo Celso as a makeweight to sweeten their case. The same outlet reported last week that Spurs have rekindled their interest and had enquired Fiorentina about the 24-year-old Serbian defender’s availability.
Tottenham view Milenkovic as an ideal replacement for Joe Rodon, who has joined Rennes on a season-long loan deal. The 24-year-old Serbian international defender is a player that has been the subject of strong interest from Spurs over the past 18 months.
He was heavily linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last summer, but a move for the talented centre-back never materialised. Eventually, Milenkovic opted to extend his contract with Fiorentina. But now, only one season down the line, it appears he might be on his way out as the Serie A outfit brace themselves for bids from potential suitors.
Milenkovic has been largely impressive since joining Fiorentina from Partizan Belgrade in 2017. In the last five years or so, the Serb has racked up over 170 competitive appearances for La Viola, establishing himself as a defensive mainstay for the Serie A club while being considered to be one of the top defenders in the Italian top-flight over the last couple of seasons.
The 24-year-old centre-back enjoyed yet another strong season in 2021/22. Milenkovic featured 38 times for Fiorentina across all competitions, scoring three goals and helping the Serie A club secure the final European spot with a seventh-place finish. The report adds that the Viola are pushing hard to tie the centre-back, who has less than 12 months remaining on his contract, down to fresh terms.
But the Serbian international has yet to decide whether he wants to put pen to paper on a new deal, with the likes of Juventus, Inter Milan, and Tottenham all waiting in the wings to secure him for a cut-price fee this summer.
Antonio Conte has Cristian Romero, Clement Lenglet, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, and Davinson Sanchez at his disposal as centre-back options for a back-three. But Tottenham are looking to bring in another central defender before the summer transfer window slams shut, with Japhet Tanganga seeming likely to follow Rodon out of the door.
Milenkovic would fit the bill perfectly as a solid backup for Cristian Romero, given that he has previously played as a right-sided defender in a back-three at Fiorentina and boasts an imposing 1.95m frame and an aggressive defending style.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina were credited with an interest in Giovani Lo Celso last month. Though Villarreal have since stolen the march in the race for the Argentine playmaker, the Serie A outfit could explore a move for Lo Celso as a part of the Milenkovic deal if Tottenham launch a definitive approach for the defender in the coming days.
