Arsenal are in talks regarding a move to bring Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What's the talk?

Transfer Focus

That's according to a report by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Edu has now made contact with Mateja Kezman - the Serbia international's agent - concerning a deal for the Lazio talisman this winter.

The report goes on to state that, with the attacking midfielder now 28 years of age, his chances of securing a so-called big move are faltering, however, the playmaker's current side are believed to be eager to tie their star man down to a new deal at the Stadio Olimpico - with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2024.

In terms of Milinkovic-Savic's asking price, Lazio president Claudio Lotito revealed in an interview with Il Messaggero back in October 2022 that "every month the price goes up" for the Serb, with the Serie A club said to be demanding a figure in the region of €120m (£106m) in order to part with the midfielder in January.

"Insane"

Considering the extraordinary ability Milinkovic-Savic undoubtedly possesses, it is not difficult to understand why Mikel Arteta would be interested in a deal to bring the 28-year-old to The Emirates in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over his 16 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, the £53m-rated talent has been in exceptional attacking form, having already scored three goals - outperforming his xG of 2.00 - registered seven assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.6 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

The £100k-per-week midfielder also impresses in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.7 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and winning 6.8 duels - at a success rate of 53% - per match, as well as playing an average of 2.9 long balls, 2.3 chipped passes and completing 40 total passes - at a success rate of 77% - per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who journalist Arjun Pradeep dubbed a "phenomenon" and reporter Siavoush Fallahi labelled "insane" average a simply breathtaking Sofascore match rating of 7.28, not only ranking him as Maurizio Sarri's second-best performer in the league but also as the joint ninth-best player in the Italian top flight as a whole.

As such, with Milinkovic-Savic evidently being a talent who is as effective in the final third as he is in a defensive capacity, it is indeed easy to see why Arteta would be interested in a deal to bring the 39-cap international to north London this winter, as based on the Lazio star's numbers of late, he would most certainly make an insane title-boosting addition to the Spaniard's current options in the middle of the park.