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What's the rumour?
Chelsea are willing to bid for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic of Serie A outfit Lazio should any of their rivals make a move for the player. According to the Independent, the Blues are monitoring the Serbian international's situation and are in pole position to sign him as the player himself would prefer a move to Stamford Bridge over all else.
In case you didn't know...
Manchester United were close to signing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic before the World Cup kicked off in Russia in June. However, Savic's good run of form in the World Cup led to a rise in his valuation by the club.
On top of that, United were put off by the complications in Savic's contract with Lazio and decided to bow out of the race.
Chelsea have already signed Jorginho from Napoli in their bid to shore up the midfield. Signing Savic would be the icing on the cake for them.
The heart of the matter
Savic is seen by Chelsea as a player who could prove to be a focal point in attack with the threat of an Eden Hazard departure looming large over the club. As per the report, Milinkovic-Savic prefers a move to Chelsea over other clubs and this has tipped the scales in favour of Chelsea with Juventus, Real Madrid and United reportedly interested.
The big Serb has built quite a reputation for himself and put in some strong performances in the World Cup as well.
He scored 12 goals in 35 Serie A games last season, which is pretty good for a midfielder. He also provided 3 assists in the league.
Savic is a complete midfielder and has the technique to weave past defenders and pick out defence-splitting passes.
Savic operating alongside N'Golo Kante and Jorginho is a scary thought for all of Chelsea's rivals.
Rumour probability/rating: 6/10
As nothing has really materialized on this front, it's best to keep the expectations tempered.
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What's next?
Savic will undoubtedly be a great addition to this Chelsea side. With Sarri at the helm and the big Serb added to their ranks, Chelsea will undoubtedly play some swashbuckling football.
