West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Nikola Milenkovic to the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by Italian publication Corriere Fiorentino (via Sport Witness), who claim that, after failing to land the centre-back last summer, David Moyes is once again plotting a move for the ACF Fiorentina defender at the end of the current campaign.
The report goes on to state that the Hammers are currently leading the race to sign the 24-year-old, who is believed to be open to a move away from the Artemio Franchi Stadium this summer, as the Serbia international is keen to join a side who are competing in European competition next season.
Moyes can axe Diop with Milenkovic
With Craig Dawson turning 32 and Angelo Ogbonna turning 34 in May, as well as the Italian sustaining an ACL injury last November, in addition to Issa Diop having failed to live up to initial expectations following his £22m signing back in 2018, it is easy to understand why Moyes would be interested in a move for Milenkovic this summer.
Indeed, over his 25 Serie A appearances so far this season, the £20.7m-rated defender has been in imperious form in the heart of the Fiorentina backline, helping his side keep five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 3.1 clearances, 54.9 passes and winning 5.5 duels – at a success rate of 69% – per game.
These returns have seen the £75k-per-week Serbian who Sacha Pisani dubbed a “beast” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as Vincenzo Italiano’s third-best performer in the top flight of Italian football.
In comparison, over Diop’s 11 Premier League outings this term, the £10.8m-rated centre-back has been in rather less impressive form, helping his side keep just two clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 0.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, three clearances and winning 2.4 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per fixture.
These returns have seen the £67k-per-week Frenchman who Toby Cudworth dubbed “shocking” average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.64, ranking him as Moyes’ sixth-worst player in the division.
As such, with Diop having been linked with a move away from east London this summer, it would appear extremely wise for Moyes to cash in on the 25-year-old while the interest is there, before subsequently reinvesting the funds received from the former French youth international’s sale into a move for the player who Dejan Stankovic claimed is “better than Vidic.”
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