Exclusive:Latest as Portsmouth pursue exciting landmark transfer for powerhouse UD Almeria striker Marko Milovanović
The latest on Pompey’s pursuit of the Serbian powerhouse in a potential landmark transfer deal.
Marko Milovanović is desperate to join Pompey as they close in on a powerful addition to their front line.
The Blues are zeroing in on an eye-catching deal for the UD Almeria striker, as they show they mean business over their Championship ambitions.
Milovanović desperate for move to Fratton Park in statement of Championship intent
The News understands a substantial bid has been made to bring in the 22-year-old, with transfer business accelerating ahead of the squad’s return for pre-season training tomorrow.
That figure falls short of Almeria’s valuation of the player known more commonly as ‘Marezi’, but blows away all fees shelled out since the Blues were in the Premier League.
Pompey are now looking at upping their offer as they aim to find an agreement with the Spanish second-tier outfit, with a sell-on clause needing to be factored into the deal.
Personal terms are not believed to be an issue for the man who bagged 10 goals in 32 appearances for Portuguese top-flight side Alverca last term.
Reports in Spain suggest other clubs across Europe are also eyeing the Serbian powerhouse, but it’s clear Milovanovic’s preference is to be plying his trade for Pompey in the Championship next season.
The former Partizan Belgrade youngster believes he has the physical attributes to excel in the second tier of the English game, with being on the end of Josh Murphy’s supply an appealing prospect.
The move for Milovanovic is one to excite supporters ahead of their team’s third season in the Championship and reflects the level of spending progress many fans feel is required.
The £1.25m paid to bring in Hayden Matthews in January of last year is the high watermark for a transfer fee in the Eisner era, with the last time more was spent on a player being the £1.5m shelled out for Erik Huseklepp in 2011.
The Milovanovic deal would certainly fall within the £2-5m category referenced by boss John Mousinho, ahead of talks taking place with the Pompey board and Eisners at the end of last season.
When speaking to The News at the end of April, the Blues head coach referenced needing to spend ‘significant figures’ to progress in the Championship.
He said: ‘Yes, increased spending is the obvious answer and what everyone goes back to.
‘I think we can definitely do that, but it’s about getting to a level where everyone’s comfortable and will work for us.
‘We can’t say all a sudden we are going to spend £40m this summer, it’s just not going to happen. But can we up those £1m-£1.5m transfer fees. Can we up those?
‘Can we get to the levels where we can get established Championship players with less risk in the equation?
‘There will always be risk, look at clubs who’ve recruited over the past two windows. There’s plenty of players who fall into that £2m-£5m category that haven’t gone right. But some clubs can do two of those, so it doesn’t matter as much.
‘We have to be astute and clever, we need to be right at the leading edge of everything to get it right.
‘I do think we can go in that direction and I do think we can get there - but it’s about supporting that with evidence of how we are going to progress these players, how they fit in the side and if one player in that category is going to bolster the side - or do we need to do four or five?
‘So then we are looking at significant figures, significant figures in terms of the spend and also the wage budget.
‘It’s a long conversation and it’s one we’re going to have. Hopefully we come out the other end and we get things right.
‘But it’s not just as simple as saying we’re going to spend and that is going to be the silver bullet to change all of our fortunes.'