After several years of never-ending speculations, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will finally leave Lazio. However, his next destination won’t be the Allianz Stadium.
Juventus have been on the midfielder’s trail for quite some time. But while this summer represented a golden opportunity to poach his services (due to his expiring contract), it coincided with an uprising in the Saudi Pro League.
The Saudi clubs have launched a scathing attack on the world’s best footballers. They have already lured the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté to the Arabian peninsula.
For his part, Milinkovic-Savic seems to be the next in line to succumb to Saudi riches. The midfielder will now join Al-Hilal in the coming days.
The Middle Eastern club has already offered Lazio 40 million euros and has a verbal agreement with the player who will collect 20 million per year.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport via ilBianconero, Juventus had scheduled a meeting with Lazio this week to discuss a potential transfer for Milinkovic-Savic.
However, Biancocelesti president Claudio Lotito received a phone call from Al-Hilal on Sunday. This was enough to sway the Lazio patron who gave his blessing to the Saudis who met his price tag.
This offer splashed Juventus out of the water. The Bianconeri had no hopes of matching the transfer kit (at least before completing sales) or the player’s salary.
So even though the Serbian would have reportedly loved to don the Black-and-White stripes, it just wasn’t meant to be.
