Manchester United could step up their interest in Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after losing out on Adrien Rabiot, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport reporter Carlo Laudisa.

Juve have confirmed that Rabiot has signed a new one-year contract, but Laudisa told Radio Napoli Kiss Kiss (quotes via Sport Witness) that United have swiftly moved on to target another Serie A player:

“Manchester United are coming forward due to Rabiot’s likely stay in Turin.”

Milinkovic-Savic has a year left on his contract at Lazio and it is widely believed that he will be sold if a club tables a bid in the region of €40m (£34m) this summer.

While he would obviously be more expensive than Rabiot, who was available on a free transfer, the Serbian is arguably a better player, having scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 47 appearances last season.

Milinkovic-Savic has all the attributes to be a perfect midfield partner for Casemiro

With Christian Eriksen having struggled for form after his return from injury at the back end of last campaign, there has been a lot of talk about whether the Dane needs more competition for his place in the starting eleven.

The likes of Fred, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek are all expected to be sold if United receive good enough bids, and recruiting Milinkovic-Savic does make a lot of sense in terms of reinforcing the numbers in midfield, whilst getting an upgrade for a relatively affordable price.

United could have rivals for Milinkovic-Savic

Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool have all been mentioned as potential suitors for the 28-year-old over the last twelve months or so but the main competition that United will face is from Italian teams.

AC Milan and Juventus have both been mentioned as possible suitors in recent weeks, but they may not be willing to match Lazio’s asking price, which could give the Red Devils an advantage in negotiations. It remains to be seen how this transfer story will play out.