West Ham United’s apparent interest in Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic should be taken ‘with a pinch of salt’, according to journalist Dean Jones.
The Hammers have been linked with a move for the 6 foot 5 giant over the past couple of transfer windows and the speculation surrounding his future is continuing to mount.
What is the latest news involving Milenkovic?
According to Italian outlet Corriere Fiorentino (as relayed by Sport Witness), West Ham are ‘in first place’ to sign Milenkovic this summer as manager David Moyes looks to bolster his backline.
The Serbia international was due to become a free agent last summer before he penned a one-year contract extension after it became clear a move away from La Viola wasn’t going to happen.
However, it’s believed that the extension was part of an agreement between the player and the club, with it made clear Milenkovic would be able to seek pasture new this summer if he so wished.
Fiorentina haven’t given up hope of tying the towering centre-back down to fresh terms once again, though, but it’s stated that their efforts will be a ‘waste of time’ if they fail to qualify for European football.
And with both Fiorentina and West Ham sitting in seventh place in their respective leagues at this moment in time, their results between now and the end of the campaign could dictate where Milenkovic plies his trade next term.
What has Jones said about Milenkovic?
The east London outfit have been credited with an interest in several intriguing stars of late due to their outstanding performances under Moyes over the last 18 months.
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Nevertheless, Jones has claimed ‘it’s hard to know’ how seriously to take some of the transfer rumours currently dominating the headlines.
He told GiveMeSport: “It's hard to know at this point how seriously to take it because most people I speak to around West Ham are like, ‘Just take everything with a pinch of salt for now.’”
Who else have West Ham been linked to?
West Ham saw a club-record bid turned down by Benfica for Darwin Nunez in January, and 90min have now revealed that the Irons have maintained an interest in the striker.
Meanwhile, The Mirror have listed Moyes’ charges amongst the sides keen to prise Raphinha away from Elland Road, although the extensive competition is likely to make that a difficult deal to pull off.
It remains to be seen if West Ham can pull off any of these potentially exciting signings and finally show the ambition that the club’s supporters have been demanding for many years.