Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s father “told him many times that Juventus would be the ideal club and he can go to Real Madrid after he turns 25.”
The 23-year-old Lazio midfielder is at the centre of a bidding war expected to reach well over €100m with Madrid, Juve and Manchester United, but the Bianconeri have a surprising ally.
“I’ve told him many times that Juventus would be perfect for him, the ideal club,” Nikola Milinkovic told Tuttosport newspaper.
“In Turin there is a prestigious club with multiple trophies that has been dominating the scene for years. He’d have the opportunity to grow and improve until reaching full maturity.
“With top quality teammates like Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa and so forth, he could win the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and why not give an important contribution to triumph in the Champions League?
“Juve always go far in that competition and if they were to win the most prestigious trophy, Sergej could even dream of the Ballon d’Or.”
SMS confessed he is a Real Madrid supporter, because his father was a professional player in Spain when he was growing up.
“It’s true, but he could go to Spain after he turns 25, when he has completed his football maturity in Italy. That’s what Zinedine Zidane did,” continued Nikola.
“Turin is also a great city, much calmer and easier to deal with than Rome. You can see the difference in the lifestyle.”
As a former player himself, how does Nikola describe his son?
“I see Sergej as a mix between Zidane and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has this explosive combination between extraordinary technique and physical power. He dominates and I don’t see weaknesses.
“He can do what he wants with his feet, in the air makes the most of being 1.91m tall and above all thinks twice as quickly as other players. He always has two or three options when receiving the ball and in a fraction of a second decides the best one.
“As for his position, he is a Number 10 who should in my view play behind the strikers. He is the prototype of the modern midfielder.”