Chelsea pursue Sergej Milinkovic-Savic but risk losing two players for Declan Rice alternative

In the pursuit to find the next best midfielder for their squad, Chelsea have been linked with the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Ibrahim Sangare and Declan Rice this year. But with Tchouameni now a Real Madrid player and Rice's huge price tag, the Blues have been exploring other options, one of which is reportedly Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

It's not the first time Chelsea have been linked with the Lazio midfielder. Milinkovic-Savic was one of Maurizio Sarri's prime targets in 2018. He was also again linked with the Blues in 2019 despite the club serving a transfer ban that summer. And let's not forget Jose Mourinho was once lusting over the robust midfielder once upon a time. In that period, his valuation has ranged between £70 million and £115 million.

After almost eight years with Lazio, Milinkovic-Savic is moving closer to the end of his contract, which expires in 2024. With his current valuation at £63million, he could be a cheaper, more experienced transfer option. Unfortunately, with Thomas Tuchel having £200m to spend in the transfer window and with an entire squad to rebuild, £63m may be asking for too much. Luckily, Chelsea can throw in some players to sweeten the deal.

Milinkovic-Savic is a coach's midfield dream. He has technique on the ball whilst occupying the central midfielder role and can get his hands dirty when necessary. The natural balance between his defensive capabilities and attacking makes him the complete midfielder that Chelsea could use. Of course, when you have a player like N'Golo Kante on your side, it's difficult to find a midfielder that would bring even more to the team, but Savic could come close.

The Blues may lose one of Jorginho or Kante this summer as their contracts are set to expire