Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has spoken out on his future amid rumours that Newcastle United are interested in the midfielder.
With the 28-year-old’s contract set to expire in the summer of 2024, the Italian side are desperate to tie him down to a long-term deal. The Serbian, however, revealed he doesn’t want to talk about a renewal until after the season.
After scoring in a crucial victory over Juventus on Saturday, the midfielder brushed off any rumours of a transfer or contract extension and insisted that he is only focused on finishing the season on a high with his current club.
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“I am concentrated on the pitch, helping the team and achieving our objectives for the season,” Milinkovic-Savic told DAZN. “I don’t want to talk about the contract renewal, we’ll see at the end of the season.”
This win took Maurizio Sarri’s side into second in Serie A, although their performances this season have been somewhat inconsistent, and even Milinkovic-Savic admitted he wanted to do better.
“Finally, I managed to score and I really missed that feeling. There has been a lot of criticism and negative words, now this goal will give me a big hand. These are three enormous points for us, as we are still in second place for a while longer, we saw that Inter lost yesterday and hope that Milan don’t win against Napoli tonight either.”
As one of Europe’s hottest properties when it comes to goal contributing midfielders – in the top 5 per cent for non-penalty goals, non-penalty xG, shots, assists and xAG when ranked against every midfielder in the top five leagues – Milinkovic-Savic will be in high demand.
Both Newcastle and Arsenal have shown real interest in the experienced international who has recorded 14 goals and assists in 27 Serie A appearances so far this season. It looks set to be a tough battle for Eddie Howe who is keen to add to his midfield depth.
With just one year left on his current deal, Milinkovic-Savic could go for a bargain fee in the summer with Lazio reluctant to let their star man walk away on a free. But he made sure to keep his cards close to his chest over the weekend and refused to drop any hints on what or where his next move will be.
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