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Man Utd transfer news: Juventus make £61m bid to leave Jose Mourinho in the cold
MANCHESTER UNITED risk missing out on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as Juventus make their first offer for the midfielder.
Manchester United target Milinkovic-Savic shows off his skills
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is a known admirer of Milinkovic-Savic and the Red Devils are expected to launch a bid.
But they face being frozen out of a deal by Italian giants Juventus, who are wasting no time getting on with negotiations.
That is according to Italian newspaper Tuttosport, who claim Juve have made their first offer for the Lazio superstar.
Juve CEO Beppe Marotta is said to have offered £61m (€70) for Milinkovic-Savic, which falls way bellow Lazio’s valuation.
The Rome club have rejected the proposal but know Juve are playing the long game over this transfer.
Tuttosport claim relations between Marotta and Lazio president Claudio Lotito are ‘not exactly idyllic’ but that the pair can work together on a deal.
Juve are used to plucking the best of Serie A’s talent from their rivals and not making friends in the process.
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They angered Napoli with their £75m capture of Gonzalo Higuain two years ago and have struggled to do business with the Neapolitan club since.
Manchester United supposedly value Milinkovic-Savic at around £87.5m (€100m) but Lazio are demanding closer to £105m (€120m).
Milinkovic-Savic needs the right mentality for United says Evra
Tuttosport claim that figure could even rise to as much as £140m (€160m) - although Lazio may struggle to convince anyone to pay that figure for a 23-year-old unproven at Champions League level.
It is said that Real Madrid are also interested in him, although Julen Lopetegui appears to have other targets, with Eden Hazard top of the list.
United themselves have already signed one midfielder in Shakhtar Donetsk’s Fred this summer, with Jose Mourinho seeking further additions.
Marouane Fellaini is all set to leave the club when his contract expires, while Mourinho wants a long-term replacement for Michael Carrick.