Manchester United want another Arsenal target as fourth signing
Erik ten Hag is desperate to bolster his midfield after losing Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic this summer
Manchester United are going after yet another Arsenal target after identifying Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as an alternative to Frenkie de Jong. The Red Devils are facing an uphill task to convince the Dutch midfielder to ditch the Camp Nou for Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag made De Jong his top summer target after taking over the reins at Old Trafford. The 20-time English champions have been in talks with Football Club Barcelona for a number of weeks to sign the Netherlands international, who has been made available for transfer.
United have a €75 million agreement in place with the Catalan giants, but it is the player that is proving to be the major obstacle. De Jong wants to remain at Barcelona and is not keen on joining Ten Hag's rebuild in Manchester.
De Jong's rejection has seen the Premier League giants move on to their next target - Milinkovic-Savic of Lazio. The Serbian midfielder is available for transfer this summer, and according to the Daily Mail, United have submitted their first bid of around £42 million.
The Red Devils' first offer is expected to be rejected by Lazio president Claudio Lotito, who is holding out for a price closer to £59 million for Milinkovic-Savic. The Serbia international's agent has scheduled a meeting with the club and is expected to present an offer from the English club.
The 27-year-old box-to-box midfielder has been with the Serie A club since 2015, and has in the past expressed a desire to ply his trade outside Italy. Milinkovic-Savic has previously been linked with a move to the English top-flight but his hefty valuation has scuppered any potential transfer.
Arsenal were also linked with the Serbian earlier in the summer, with Mikel Arteta keen to add to his midfield. Youri Tielemans remains the Gunners' top target, but Milinkovic-Savic along with Lyon's Lucas Paqueta are also on the north London club's radar.
Ten Hag is desperate to bolster his midfield after losing Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard this summer. Christian Eriksen has arrived on a free transfer, but the Dutch coach is aware that he needs more quality cover to play a role in front of his backline.
