Lazio President Claudio Lotito insists Sergej Milinkovic-Savic ‘is not for sale’ and warns he won’t ‘play Luis Alberto’s games’ on the transfer market.
The club patron spoke to Il Messaggero newspaper and tried to calm the speculation around his star players.
Both La Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttosport stated over the last 24 hours that Juventus are putting all their resources into signing Milinkovic-Savic, possibly as early as January, in a deal worth €60m.
“Everyone says he’s going here or there, but he is not for sale. Everyone knows how important he is for me and for Lazio, so we are discussing a contract renewal.”
There is far less certainty around Luis Alberto, who has fallen down the pecking order under Maurizio Sarri and had already pushed for a summer move to Sevilla before that fell apart.
Now with the window coming up, Milan and again a return to Spain are back in the headlines.
“If he wants to leave, then let him bring a club with money, because I am not even considering a January loan,” said Lotito.
“I have not received any request from Atletico Madrid. At the moment, the situation has not changed since the summer, when perhaps Sevilla took him for a ride.
“I will not play Luis Alberto’s games, he is a talented figure and can still reach a compromise. He must accept the decisions of the coach, and at the same time Sarri can be more understanding, because every player has a different personality. They can’t all have the same mental strength as Pedro.”
The 30-year-old Spaniard has contributed four goals and two assists in 17 games for Lazio this season between Serie A and the Europa League.
However, he only started nine of those matches and was left on the bench for the final two Europa League clashes.
Grande Presidente!