Football League World
·29 August 2024
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·29 August 2024
Millwall have made an offer to sign Serbian striker Mihailo Ivanovic for a club-record fee.
This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Millwall have been linked with a move for Serbian striker Mihailo Ivanovic, having reportedly made a bid to sign the youngster for what would be a club-record fee.
The Lions have made a bid in the region of £2.5 million for Serbian striker Mihailo Ivanovic, according to SportKlub.
The 19-year-old currently plays for Vojvodina in the top flight of Serbian football, and if Millwall's bid is accepted and a deal is completed, he will become the most expensive signing in the history of the South London club.
Millwall head coach Neil Harris has previously stated that he needs "fresh legs and options in the top line" so following Tom Bradshaw's hamstring injury in the latter stages of the Lions' Carabao Cup defeat against Leyton Orient and Kevin Nisbet's loan move to Aberdeen, it is no surprise that an offer has been made for a new centre-forward.
Football League World's Millwall fan pundit, Chris Chapman, who provides reactions, analysis and insight about the club on his YouTube channel, is excited about the prospect of a new striker coming in for a club-record fee.
"I am excited. I think whenever your club spends a club-record fee on a player, you're going to get excited," said Chapman.
"He is the exact type of profile we're looking for. He's young, he seems to be mobile, athletic, good in the air, so all the things that we've clearly identified that we need from a striker investment, he ticks those boxes.
"My concern, and this is why it is sort of like cautious excitement I suppose, is he is 19 years old, and Tom Bradshaw has sustained an injury that looked quite bad, which basically means this lad and an unproven Macaulay Langstaff are going to be what we have for the rest of the season, unless we bring in anyone else in.
"Whilst I am excited, I would like this to be complemented by another centre-forward, because I think it is unfair to try and rely on those two for the rest of the season. "To summarise, yes I am excited. The club are showing a clear strategy in terms of investing in a young striker in the sort of profile that we want, who seems to have good pedigree, but, at the same time, it is a lot to put on a 19-year-old's shoulders, to be our main man.
"That is the thing that gives me a little bit of caution."
Langstaff, who joined from League Two side Notts County earlier this summer, is yet to get off the mark for the Lions, and as things stand, he and Ivanovic will be Harris' forward options for the 2024/25 campaign.
Ivanovic has spent his entire career at Vojvodina, apart from a loan spell at Sampdoria during which he primarily featured for the youth team, where he has scored 10 goals in 48 appearances and gained experience playing in both Europa League and Conference League qualifiers.
If he does become Millwall's record signing, it will be interesting to see how quickly he can adapt to life in England, but he may need to find his feet as soon as possible, especially if the Lions do not bring in another striker before the transfer deadline on Friday.