Though the summer transfer window has been shut for closing in on three weeks, Milan are still in the process of officially unveiling some of their recent acquisitions. On Thursday afternoon, Luka Jovic conducted his first press conference since joining the Rossoneri on deadline day.
The 25-year-old left Fiorentina to join Milan in a unique deal at the end of the summer, joining for free on a one-year deal, although the Rossoneri have taken on the 50% sell-on clause negotiated by Real Madrid at the time of the Serbian’s move to La Viola.
Despite having to wait until the very end of the transfer window to get his move, Jovic revealed that he had been waiting to join Milan for several months.
“It is a great honor and really satisfying to play for such a big club, I will do everything to help achieve this season’s objectives. There was contact at the beginning of the summer, then the situation developed differently. My wish was to come here. I was waiting for Milan, I rejected all the other offers,” he said.
“There was contact years ago as well. Maldini spoke to me three years ago when I was at Real Madrid, but things didn’t work out. But now I’m here.
“I was ready to stay at Fiorentina too, but I waited for the Milan move to materialise. I’m very happy.”
Jovic gained recognition across the continent after a fantastic season with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018-19, scoring 18 league goals and securing a move to Real Madrid in the process. Since then, however, consistent performances have been much harder to come by.
Asked whether the move to Milan is his last chance at a major club, Jovic responded: “This is a big step forward for me from Fiorentina to Milan, it’s a higher level. At Real I had a breakdown, things didn’t go in the best way, but now I’m part of one of the best clubs in the world. I hope to get lucky and get back to my old levels.”
“Hutter gave me a lot, the team gave me a lot. I hope to do the same with Pioli.
“He told me that he believes in me, I have to listen to him. He told me that I’m sure we will have an excellent relationship. It’s a great pleasure to work with him, I was welcomed very well here in Milan.”
Jovic has already made his debut for the Rossoneri, coming off the bench in the 5-1 loss against Inter last weekend, but the Serbian has admitted that he is not currently in his best shape.
“I need some time. Physically, I’m not 100%, so I will have to work very hard to be ready for the next matches. I started working following a specific program,and I’m working even more than the rest of the team.”
Jovic then revealed that Milan was the team he and his family looked up to the most when growing up in Serbia: “As a child I was a Milan fan. My father and my friends were Milan fans, it’s a wish come true. I hope to give my absolute best while I’m here.”