Pavlovic-Milan: Defender ready to make pact with the devil

At the Rossoneri, the centre-back will earn €1.5m. In the meantime, he is enjoying his vacation with Vlahovic.

Difficult for the defense. Milan have decided to take seriously Strahinja Pavlovic, the left-footed defender of Salzburg. The Serbian international, born in 2001, has been on the list of players that the Rossoneri like since the beginning of the transfer market, but until a few days ago the idea was to link his purchase to a possible departure in the defensive department, now at Casa Milan they are convinced to try regardless. In short, negotiations have already begun and will continue in parallel with those of the other targets in the Rossoneri transfer market: from Alvaro Morata, a strong name in attack, to Youssouf Fofana, a profile identified to reinforce the midfield, to finish the season. With Emerson Royal, the first candidate for the right line of defense.

the situation

—

In Salzburg they know that Pavlovic is unlikely to stay in Austria until the end of the summer. He has a contract with Red Bull until June 30, 2027, but for all parties involved it seems like the time has come to say goodbye. Pavlovic is ready to make the big leap, the one that those who saw him grow up at Partizan Belgrade always envisioned: playing for a big club. And the biggest could be Milan. The Rossoneri have already secured the player’s approval, with the help of Zvonimir Vukic (the former Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder who defied the devil in the Champions League in 2004-05). Pavlovic also has other suitors, including Brentford who have good spending power, but his desire to join Italy favours the Serie A sides in the race to prise him away from Salzburg. In addition to the Rossoneri, Napoli appear to have taken a step back in the past week, after contacts in the previous months. So Milan are now in pole position.

Numbers

—

How much can Salzburg ask for Pavlovic? Hardly less than 20 million. Either for his age (23 years), or for his potential and contractual situation (three more seasons). In short, a significant investment. But what works in Milan’s favor is the Serbian defender’s current salary, which is around 700 thousand euros. The Rossoneri’s offer is almost double that, which is, in total, a reasonable salary for a player who could be a candidate for a starting shirt at Milan. In fact, he will become the only left-footed center-back in the team, a detail that has a certain importance. So Pavlovic, despite his young age, has international experience (he has already participated in the World Cup and the European Championship as a starter with Serbia, where he has made 38 appearances in total) and has the charisma to play his cards right away at Milan. Especially if Pierre Kalulu is to be used more often as a right-back, as was expected in the press conference by Paulo Fonseca. This consideration could also lead to thinking about changing direction: given the difficulties in reaching an agreement with Tottenham for Emerson Royal, Milan may have decided to add a centre-back first, with Kalulu as an umbrella in case it is not possible to buy the Brazilian. And Pavlovic, as mentioned earlier, is certainly the profile identified to reinforce the defensive department.

I am waiting

—

Meanwhile, Strahinja is enjoying the last days of his vacation. On July 19, barring any surprises from the transfer market, he is expected to be in the resort of Salzburg with the others from the club that participated in the European Championship. But even on vacation, Pavlovic was able to ask two of his compatriots who know our championship well for information about the Italian league: in fact, rumors tell of a week in Ibiza with Dusan Vlahovic and Nemanja Radonjic. Who knows, in a few months with DV9 he won’t have to fight us…