Manchester United Transfer News: Juventus 'Give Up' Sergej Milinkovic-Savic Race

Manchester United's alleged pursuit of Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic looks to have taken a turn for the better following reports Juventus have backed out of the race to sign him.

Paris Saint-Germain are still thought to be a big contender in the hunt for the 22-year-old, although Calciomercato.com (via ilBiancoNero) reported Juve will no longer be vying for his signature.

According to the report, Juve thought they could use their proximity to Turin rivals Torino—where Milinkovic-Savic's younger brother, Vanja, plays as a goalkeeper—as a sweetener in him moving. However, it appears the expected cost of a deal has convinced them to look elsewhere.

Lazio are bound to be calm over the situation in any case, considering their playmaking star has four-and-a-half years left to run on his deal and he seems happy in the Italian capital, per football reporter David Amoyal:

The Eagles would always appear less likely to want to sell any key player to a direct rival, although United's desire to sign Milinkovic-Savic will be tested as Calciomercato says PSG are willing to pay €170 million (£150 million) for his signature.

Milinkovic-Savic has enjoyed a stellar Serie A campaign as Lazio try to remain in the top four, and Perform's Sacha Pisani recently hailed the talents of a player whose quality seemingly led to Serbia changing their national-team manager:

Despite boasting an intimidating 6'4" frame, Milinkovic-Savic isn't a midfield general and has been at his best in the opposition half this season, where he can hold up play and put his deceptively silky feet to good use.

It's that role some might envision for Paul Pogba at Old Trafford, although manager Jose Mourinho has previously shown a preference for deploying the Frenchman in a more central position that doesn't necessarily optimise his skills.

Football Radars recently compared Pogba's last season at Juventus against Milinkovic-Savic's current campaign, showing a resemblance in passing and dribbling, although the former was far superior in scoring:

It would be a major advantage if United were able to continue their pursuit of the Serb without fear of Italy's biggest powerhouse attempting to disrupt any deal.

That being said, the Red Devils should still be concerned about PSG's gaze as they seek to tempt a Serie A star whose form this season has caught the attention of the continent's biggest players.