Report: Conte is ‘crazy’ about signing £62m midfielder for Tottenham, he’s ‘better than Paul Pogba’

Wed 13 April 2022 12:15, UK

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According to Italian outlet , Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte is keen to sign Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer.

Spurs let go of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso in January, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could be on his way to AS Roma to reunite with Jose Mourinho before the start of next season.

That makes a new central midfielder an absolute necessity for Tottenham. As a result, Conte and Fabio Paratici are both on the market looking for reinforcements, and it looks like they’ve found their man.

The two Italians at the helm at Tottenham are reportedly set to go back to their home country to sign one of Serie A’s best midfielders – Milinkovic-Savic.

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Conte is ‘crazy’ about signing Milinkovic-Savic for Tottenham

Milinkovic-Savic has long been linked with a move to the Premier League. He has even , but a move just never materialised.

Now, the report claims that both Conte and Paratici are ‘crazy’ about Milinkovic-Savic, who is almost certain to leave Lazio this summer having rejected a new contract.

His current deal in Rome expires in the summer of 2024, which puts Lazio in a fairly strong position. They are reportedly looking for a fee in the region of £62 million, which is more money than Spurs have spent on a single player ever before.

The report, however, claims that any deal will depend on Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League by finishing inside the top four this season.

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He’s better than Paul Pogba

Milinkovic-Savic is represented by former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman.

The now-retired footballer turned football agent has always had great things to say about his client. In one interview from March 2018, he made a few claims that definitely did raise a few eyebrows.

Kezman told about Milinkovic-Savic: “When Sergej arrived in Italy there were comparisons with Paul Pogba. I think that now Milinkovic-Savic has some different qualities that are better than Pogba.

“In these past six months, he has made enormous progress and has the possibility to become the best in the world in my opinion. He reminds me of Zinedine Zidane sometimes and there are certain things he does that you cannot see on the television.

“For me, he can become better than Arjen Robben and Frank Lampard, and will one day contest the Ballon d’Or.”