Before the start of the summer transfer market, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was amongst the players who were largely tipped to join Juventus ahead of the new campaign. But once the Mercato rolled on, the Bianconeri only had eyes for Paul Pogba. 

Unfortunately for both parties, what began as a happy reunion swiftly turned sour as the Frenchman sustained an injury during the US tour, which should rule him out for a significant amount of time.

Hence, Federico Cherubini and company have apparently revived their interest in SMS as a fallback solution and a like-to-like replacement for the injured World Cup winner.

However, Juventus will be facing an uphill battle to land Milinkovic-Savic for several reasons.

Price of Desperation

As we all know, Lazio president Claudio Lotito is one of the toughest negotiators in the game. So if the price he had set upon his prized asset was already hefty, just imagine what he’ll do when he senses the Old Lady’s desperation.

So after being overlooked in favor of Pobga’s pursuit, the Biancocelesti patron won’t let the opportunity pass by without making Juventus pay extra for their previous disdain. 

Stern Competition

Another reason for the Serbian’s soaring price is the quality of suitors who are vying for his signature.

With the likes of Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid reportedly on hot on Sergej’s trail, Juventus could be blown out of the water.

Other Priorities

Prior to Pogba’s injury, Juventus were still looking to add two or three new players to the squad – mainly a striker, a deep-lying playmaker and perhaps another defender.

But after spending a large amount of Matthijs de Ligt’s transfer fee on Gleison Bremer, the Bianconeri may not have enough money to launch a scathing attack on Milinkovic-Savic while bolstering the other departments as well.

Nevertheless, in the bizarre world of the transfer market, we can never say never.