Manchester City Transfer News: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic January Bid Rumours

Manchester City are reportedly ready to make their move for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in January in a bid to beat a host of clubs to the player.

According to Kaustubh Pandey of Calciomercato, the interest from the Etihad Stadium in the 22-year-old has intensified as of late, with manager Pep Guardiola said to be a big admirer of the Serbian:

"Both Juventus and Manchester United have also been linked to the Lazio star in the past as both are looking to bolster their midfield. The fact that City are looking to make an offer would certainly alert them."

Milinkovic-Savic has made rapid progress at Lazio under the guidance of manager Simone Inzaghi and is now among the best midfielders in the division. Per the UEFA Europa League Twitter account, he's been performing on the continent too:

There aren't many things the youngster can't do on the field. At his best he's deployed in an orthodox midfield position and given license to influence the game as he pleases. That responsibility is something that's emboldened Milinkovic-Savic and helped Lazio enjoy a rapid start to the Serie A campaign.

The midfielder can win the ball back for his team with his physicality or neat tackling, while his long stride gives Lazio a major threat in transitions. What will appeal to Guardiola is his ability to stay composed in advanced areas, as Milinkovic-Savic knows when to take a shot or move the ball on.

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As these numbers from WhoScored.com show, Milinkovic-Savic is indomitable in the air:

To thrive in the midfield of a team managed by Guardiola you need to be a special footballer, and the ceiling of Milinkovic-Savic's talent is sky-high.

If he was to arrive in January it'd be interesting to see where he would fit in at the Etihad Stadium. After all, City have so many quality options to call upon in this area of the field it's difficult to see where Milinkovic-Savic would play.

As Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe recently relayed in his XI of the 2017-18 season so far, City's midfield trio of Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva have been sensational early in the campaign:

Given Milinkovic-Savic is such a good footballer, and there appear to be plenty of teams interested in him, moving to get this deal done as quickly as possible would be sensible from City.

Even so, the player would surely hold some reservations about moving on during the campaign. Especially when looking at the players he would have to compete with in Manchester for a starting spot, the key role he currently has at the Stadio Olimpico and how well Lazio are performing in Serie A this season.

According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Football Italia), the Biancocelesti will hold out for €100 million (£88 million) before they decide to sell their prized asset. With that in mind, we'll surely have to wait until the summer before Milinkovic-Savic goes anywhere.