Liverpool join Manchester United in Nikola Milenkovic pursuit
By Tom Gott
Liverpool have reached out to the representatives of Fiorentina centre-back Nikola Milenkovic, who is also a target of Manchester United, to discuss a summer transfer.
Jurgen Klopp is expected to splash out on another young centre-back this summer, having seen all three of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip suffer what are expected to be season-ending knee injuries this year.
Liverpool do have the option to make Ozan Kabak's loan from Schalke permanent, but they are known to be considering other options. According to Sky Germany's Max Bielefeld, Milenkovic is on their radar.
The Reds have spoken to the agent of the 23-year-old, as have United and Manchester City, while Borussia Dortmund are also keen on a deal for Milenkovic.
Young centre-backs are all the rage these days. The likes of Sevilla's Jules Kounde and RB Leipzig duo Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate have dominated the headlines in recent weeks, meaning Milenkovic has flown under the radar somewhat.
After making his breakthrough towards the end of the 2017/18 season, the towering Serb has established himself as a core part of Fiorentina's defence, making 120 appearances in all competitions to date.
Fiorentina would obviously like to keep Milenkovic, but their hands have been tied somewhat by the defender's expiring contract. He will enter the final 12 months of his deal in the summer and has shown no signs of wanting to extend.
A large part of Milenkovic's frustrations come from the fact that Fiorentina currently sit down in 14th in Serie A, 19 points off the top four and just ten clear of the relegation zone.
With all that under consideration, Milenkovic could end up being one of the more affordable options on the market this summer, and it seems as though Liverpool, United, City and Dortmund have all realised that.
Reports in Italy have suggested the Premier League is the most likely destination for Milenkovic, who was on United's radar back in 2019 when they signed Harry Maguire, but interest from Dortmund could change things.