Nottingham Forest are expected to complete the signing of Nikola Milenkovic very soon – and the club might be getting themselves a bit of a steal.
Milenkovic has been enjoying some downtime after playing all three games that Serbia featured in at Euro 2024.
He played against England, Slovenia and Denmark as Serbia were unable to qualify from the group stages, falling at the first hurdle.
Milenkovic is set for a medical at Forest and his arrival will end seven years with Fiorentina where he has helped them reach two European finals.
The money spent looks extremely good business with Forest agreeing a £12 million deal with a number of add-ons included for Fiorentina.
However, things could have been so much different and the Serie A outfit looks to have missed a trick…
Agent claims West Ham nearly signed Forest-bound Nikola Milenkovic
It feels as though Fiorentina might have missed a trick here and perhaps there’s a notion that he should have been sold to West Ham last summer.
Milenkovic has three years remaining on his current contract but with Fiorentina needing to raise some cash the time has come to sell him.
Now, a reputable agent, Vincenzo Morabito has claimed that perhaps Milenkovic should have been sold to West Ham last year.
He told Tutto Mercato Web: “Players must be sold at the right time and perhaps his time was when he was close to West Ham.
“Today, in my opinion, Fiorentina cannot expect big figures. Paradoxically if he leaves, Fiorentina will be forced to spend the same money, or even more, for a profile to replace him.
“At this point, however, I would let him go and I would bring in a younger player.”
Forest landing real star in Milenkovic
Forest did some good business last summer but in the eyes of some supporters, too many players were added who had minimal impact.
Now, Forest appear to be doing things properly in the transfer market and this deal looks very savvy indeed.
Milenkovic has a wealth of experience in Serie A and he’s made over 260 appearances during his seven years in Italy.
It’s quite intriguing that West Ham wanted to sign him in a big-money deal last year and they were quoted far more than the fee Forest are going to pay.
The Reds are on the lookout for a new centre-back following the £27 million sale of Moussa Niakhate to Lyon last month.
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