Lazio president Claudio Lotito insisted that in-demand midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic carries a huge price tag after already rejecting a €110 million bid for him, and dismissed suggestions that the Aquile are a selling club.
The 24-year-old has enjoyed a stellar campaign as Lazio fell just shy of Champions League qualification, and his superb form has seen Premier League runners up Manchester United show strong interest in his services.
However, Lotito is ready to stand firm and push a hard bargain before allowing the Serbia international to leave the Stadio Olimpico, revealing that he had already turned down a huge offer from an unnamed club last summer.
“I can tell you that I already rejected a €110m bid for Milinkovic-Savic on 29 August, so I don’t know how much he is worth now,” Lotito declared at an awards ceremony in Calabria on Tuesday. “However, €100m would not be enough.
“It angers me to hear people call Lazio a ‘supermarket club’. I have never transfer-listed any of my players. When I sell someone, it is because they have knocked on my door and asked for permission to leave.”
Milinkovic-Savic has scored 25 goals in 122 appearances since joining the Biancoceleste from Belgian club Genk in 2015. The Spain-born midfielder has represented Serbia on two occasions and has been included in their preliminary squad for the upcoming World Cup.
