Arsenal and Chelsea are battling it out with Borussia Dortmund to sign Club Brugge midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic, based on reports in Belgium.
Stankovic, the youngest son of Inter Milan legend Dejan, is having fun with an eye catching debut season with Club Brugge, making 36 appearances in all competitions while chipping in with seven goals.
The 20-year-old got here through Inter Milan’s academy ranks but left the Serie A giants last summer in pursuit of normal playing time following a season-long loan move to Swiss outfit Luzern.
Nevertheless, just 12 months on, there may be mounting speculation that Stankovic might be on the move again, together with his performances not going unnoticed and catching the eye of a few of Europe’s top teams.
Based on Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, several elite sides have enquired about Stankovic’s potential availability in recent weeks and months, including Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal and Chelsea are also admirers and it’s claimed the 2 Premier League clubs are in regular contact with each Club Brugge and Roc Nation, who represent Stankovic.
The report adds that the deep-lying midfielder – who has been capped 4 times by Serbia – is viewed as a ‘very interesting prospect’ for the long run at each the Emirates and Stamford Bridge.
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The one major sticking point for Arsenal and Chelsea is available in the form of Inter Milan, who inserted a buyback clause of their transfer cope with Club Brugge for Stankovic – meaning they’ll re-sign the teen for a fee of €23million (£20m) in the primary two weeks of June.
Arsenal and Chelsea would likely must spend a ‘much higher’ fee than the ‘bargain’ price available to Inter at the beginning of the summer transfer window.
Should they resolve against bringing Stankovic back to the San Siro, Inter would receive 50 per cent of the benefit from any sale.
Stankovic’s current contract with Club Brugge runs through to June 2029.
Speaking after Club Brugge’s 3-0 win over Standard Liege on Sunday, Stankovic’s father, Dejan, said his son deserved the eye he was receiving because of his ‘transformation’ in Belgium this season.
‘I believe it’s right that we speak about him. And I’ve already said, at his age he’s already a greater player than I used to be,’ Stankovic – who won an historic treble with Inter in 2010 – said.
‘What advice could I give him? Time will tell, but an important thing is consistency.
‘He made excellent decisions, between Luzern and Bruges. He left home, suffered, learned, worked.
‘His transformation has been incredible. He’s improving game after game, but now the pressure is coming.’
He added: ‘If Aleksandar continues at this pace, he’ll be playing top-level football.
‘I can’t let you know where yet, but that’s how it should be.’
In a recent interview, Stankovic made no secret of the very fact he ‘dreamed’ of sooner or later returning to Inter Milan having didn’t make the step up from the academy to the first-team.
‘People often say that I used to be born in an Inter shirt,’ he explained.
‘I’ve at all times said that imagined playing on the San Siro as a child and that continues to be a dream that I’m pursuing.’
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