CF Montreal's Djordje Mihailovic 'speaking with agent' about transfer

CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic has revealed that 'conversations' remain ongoing regarding a transfer away from the club.

Mihailovic has just returned from a lengthy layoff due to an ankle injury and is looking to pick up where he left off as one of the most in-form midfielders in MLS over the past 18 months.

Since joining Montreal at the start of the 2021 season, Mihailovic has hit 12 goals and 18 assists in 54 appearances across all competitions.

Watch the story of Charlotte FC's journey to MLS in 90min's The Making of Charlotte FC, presented by DoorDash, on 90min channels now. Subscribe to our new US YouTube channel.

Naturally, his form has led to regular links to European moves, with Premier League side Leeds United even mentioned earlier this year. Injury may have disrupted him recently, but Mihailovic is still only 23 years old and isn't giving up on crossing the pond.

“We’ll see. I’m speaking with my agent. Nothing official, but I’m sure – Olivier has mentioned there’s always conversations,” Mihailovic - who trained with Serie A side Bologna last winter - told reporters.

“This is an important window and it’s a tricky situation. It’s actually tough to talk about, honestly. We’ll see. I’m just going to try to let things come naturally and when the time for the decision comes then I’ll make a decision, but right now I just need to focus on playing again.”

While the ankle injury suffered in May cooled transfer speculation slightly, it also caused Mihailovic to miss out on his long-awaited USMNT recall. The midfielder's creative exploits for Montreal were enough to persuade Gregg Berhalter to give him a first call-up since December 2020, offering the chance to impress with the 2022 World Cup approaching.

In the end, it was Mihailovic who chose to back out to avoid making his ankle injury worse. But the former Chicago Fire man remains calm about his international future and is even comfortable missing this year's World Cup knowing there's another coming on home soil in just four years.

“It was actually my decision to not go on that [June] trip because I probably could have forced myself to play but from a health side, it wouldn’t have been smart,” said Mihailovic, who has six USMNT caps to date.

“I told the coach, I know this is a huge opportunity for me but if I come in I won't be able to play my 100 percent. We both agreed that if I keep playing well, I know there are going to be chances in the future. And if it’s not this World Cup, then when the World Cup is in North America and I’ll be 27 I think. It’s another opportunity."