Though the transfer window has slammed shut across a host of European leagues, some of the biggest and costliest names still happen to be in the spotlight. Lazio's headstrong midfield cameo, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is certainly one of those upmarket names. The Spanish born Serbian has been a subject of interest of the summer transfer window as the 23-year-old illuminated his charisma with some eye-catching exceptional showings for the Italian outfit in the recent years.
A shade under 6 ft 4in, Milinkovic-Savic has a heavy magnetic force which has attracted a host of European elites. Reportedly, Liverpool, Manchester United, Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint-German and Real Madrid were keen to avail Sergej Milinkovic Savic's services. But, to acquire his signature, the interested clubs needed to break their bank as the Serbian international is valued at €90 million by TransferMarkt and his value looks like will continuously increase.
The midfielder boasts a very exceptional skill-set and those rare attribute makes him an 'ideal buy' for any team.
Here are some reasons why Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has become one of the hottest property of the transfer market and why the big clubs are desperate to hire his high-priced services.
#3 The unusual attribute of performing a perfect 'two-pronged' role
The 'two-pronged' role means Milinkovic-Savic has a superior ability to play comfortably in both the offensive and defensive phase. Some of the Serie A players -- Radja Nainggolan or Hamsik -- are said to have this attribute but indeed in perspective, the Serbian is even more complete and better.
Regarding the defensive phase, Milinkovic-Savic's attitude is very proactive and his contributions in the overall defence are truly eye-catching. His statistics of 2 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game outlines his extraordinary defensive potential. If we consider him as a defensive or holding midfielder, it would be a big error. It's true that many times Savic piled his trade as a deep-lying midfield man, but his favourite position remains as a box-to-box midfielder with a smart attacking mindset.
When it comes to his contributions in the attack, the Serbian has really good statistics. The 23-year-old contributes 2 shots and makes 1.5 key passes per game. During the previous term, according to Squaka, Milinkovic-Savic created 45 chances which is considerably higher amount than Paul Pogba.
In this way, Milinkovic Savic casts a perfect combination of defense and attack and probably this is one of the main reason why he makes a wish list of biggest European clubs.
#2 Immense physicality which makes him a'tremendous' man on the pitch
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's one big strength which makes him very attractive is his extensive physical efficiency. Along with some technical attributes, he is gifted with rare physical powers which enlighten his image as a complete midfielder. The Serbian is 192 cm tall and weighs as much as 76 kg, and these figures help the Serbian to an exquisite tally of 4.4 aerial duels per fixture.
These physical strengths are the reasons why he is very hard to track and his quick movement in the attacking area makes it even more difficult for the defenders.
Moreover, the somatic attributes result into high aerial efficiency and make Milinkovic-Savic a big and tremendous man on the pitch.
#1 The biggest advantage is that he is only 23!
When it comes to athletes, their value is mostly determined by cross-checking their age. And it is the area where the Serbian prodigy gets high standards.
Milinkovic-Savic is 23-years-old, which means he has a massive scope of further improvement and that's why he is considered as one of the most promising and propitious youngsters. At the age of 23, he has already achieved some of the hardest milestones and it's really unique to have such comprehensive and impressive merits at this age.
The age advantage can urge Savic to try different styles of play, switch the positions and to retain a very high consistency of delivering high caliber performances. He will have numerous opportunities to learn, apply, work and then ultimately improve his strengths.
The European elites like Real Madrid always tend to recruit budding youngsters who will be like a fixed asset to the club and that's why they look like getting lured to splash the gigantic amount of cash to seal expensive services of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.