25-year-old Lazio star reveals desire to play for Real Madrid

Since his breakout season in the Serie A, Serbian international Serej Milinkovic-Savic has been a long-time target of several European clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Real Madrid, particularly, were heavily linked with a move for the Lazio midfielder in the summer of 2020, with reports claiming the Serb was their primary replacement for the aging Luka Modric.

However, a deal failed to materialize, as the Spanish giants opted out of a bid for the Lazio star.

Serej Milinkovic Savic has now stirred up rumors of a potential switch to the Galacticos when he made a bold comment over his love for Real Madrid.

Speaking as the guest appearance on "Evening with Ivan Ivanović”, a show on Serbian channel TV Nova, the 25-year-old discussed his desire to play Real Madrid, or at least play against them.

The 24-year-old revealed his love and admiration for the La Liga champions while stating he would love to put on the Madrid shirt someday.

“In the Champions League we had a hard game ahead against Bayern,” the Lazio midfielder said.

“The truth is that during the UEFA Champions League draw, I wanted to play against Real Madrid so that I can swap shirts with their players.

“I have dreamt of playing for Real Madrid since I was a child. This is the greatest goal of my career and I will do everything possible to achieve it.”

Milinkovic-Savic continues to impress Real Madrid with superb performances this season

Real Madrid were keen on snapping up Milinkovic Savic from Lazio last summer, after the Serbian thrilled the Serie A with seven goals and four assists from the center of the park.

However, interest from the Galacticos fizzled out after Lazio's president slapped a hefty price tag on the midfielder in a bid to keep him at the club.

The club president, Claudio Lotito, revealed he had rejected an offer of about £110m from an unknown club for the ex-Genk star, and Real Madrid would have to beat that fee to secure his service.

While Real Madrid’s interest might have taken a dip, the 25-year-old’s impressive outings could attract the Spanish giants once more, as they search for a replacement for the veteran duo of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

Milinkovic-Savic has scored four goals and provided five assists in the Serie A this season, as fifth-placed Lazio push for Champions League qualification.

About the author

Joshua is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda who covers news and match previews. He fell in love with the sport watching Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o win titles at club and international level, and his passion for the sport led him to become a professional football writer. He has an overall professional experience of 5 years.

Joshua supports Chelsea at club level, having witnessed a number of African stars break records with the club. Drogba’s equalizing header and match-winning shootout penalty for Chelsea against Bayern Munich in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final left a last impact on him. His favorite player is Eden Hazard and favorite manager is Jose Mourinho, who gave him the most joyous days as a Blues supporter. He believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is unlucky to be born in Messi’s era and favors the Argentine in the G.O.A.T. debate.

Joshua also follows the Portuguese Primeira Liga and the Nigeria Professional Football League and loves to play football during his free time. Having attained a B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan, he employs his problem-solving skills in crafting articles while doing extensive research to ensure each article is well thought out and crafted.

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Edited by Ashwin