Millwall FC told how much they must demand for Mihailo Ivanovic as Wolves plot transfer | OneFootball

Football League World's Millwall fan pundit has discussed Mihailo Ivanovic's valuation amid reported interest from Wolves

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…

Mihailo Ivanovic's future at Millwall is the subject of intense speculation following an eye-catching debut campaign with Alex Neil's side, which has seen the Serbian striker earn admirers elsewhere ahead of a potential exit from East London this summer.

Prior to the January arrival of exciting winger Camiel Neghli, the 20-year-old became Millwall's record signing less than twelve months ago when he arrived in a reported £2.8 million move from Serbian top-flight outfit Vojvodina.

Ivanovic endured a mixed start to life in the Championship but blossomed infront of goal following Alex Neil's appointment back in December. The second-half of the season saw Ivanovic spark into life and he finished the campaign with 12 goals from 37 Championship appearances, with all but two of his league strikes coming after the turn of the year.

The one-cap Serbian international is now emerging as a hot property as we edge closer to the summer transfer window, with both Lazio and Premier League club Wolves having been credited with an interest in his signature in recent times.

Last week, journalist Rich Cawley reported that Vitor Pereira's side are "monitoring" which, given Wolves' status as a top-flight domestic outfit coupled with the recent £62.5 million sale of talismanic Brazilian forward Mateus Cunha to Manchester United and Rayan Ait-Nouri's impending £31 million move to Manchester City - both of which will hand the Portuguese boss a healthy transfer kitty in this summer's window, could be a real concern for Millwall.

Millwall FC, Mihailo Ivanovic exit fear played down amid £15m transfer demand to Wolves

Following the news of Wolves' interest, FLW asked our Millwall fan pundit, Lucas Ball, whether he is concerned that Ivanovic could have his head turned by the prospect of a move to Molineux and if Millwall need to stand firm and demand a transfer fee in excess of his real value.

But in Lucas' view, however, Ivanovic is not quite ready for the demands of Premier League football just yet, and he believes that the Serbian will be content at Millwall for the time being.

In terms of Ivanovic's valuation, meanwhile, Lucas has contended that the club should be demanding at least £15 million for a player who he believes is capable of scoring between 15 and 20 league goals next term, which would naturally entitle the Lions to collect an even stronger fee in twelve months' time.

"I think Mihailo is very happy at Millwall by all accounts," Lucas told FLW.

"We've given him a really good opportunity to come and prove himself in a foreign league, he was obviously a highly-rated prospect in Serbia. To be fair to him, under Alex Neil he has grasped that with both hands and improved quite quickly, particularly in the second-half of the season where the majority of his goals came.

"He's got a lot to learn still, I'm sure he'll be quite honest about that. He's probably not ready for the Premier League yet, I think another season under Neil where we'd hopefully be pushing for the play-offs would put him in good stead.

"There's an opportunity to get there with Millwall, you'd hope.

"Wolves have got money to spend. They're selling Rayan Ait-Nouri as well by the looks of things, he'll be moving on for £35 million.

"That's obviously more than what we'd be looking at for Ivanovic.

"The Premier League is always going to be a tough one if teams come calling for your players, but I think it's one where we need to be quite firm and say 'give us at least one more year, we'll have a really good crack at the play-offs, we've got a manager who knows how to get there and is the one you feel if anyone could get us over the line, it will be him, so give us that chance to do really well again and see where you end up'.

"Also for us, if he has a really good season and gets 15–20 goals then we could potentially be looking at a £20 million striker next season.

"So I think that, for now, we need to stand really firm. You're asking for at least £15 million if teams are seriously looking.

"I think for now, it's a case of teams monitoring more than anything. I don't personally think anybody is going to make a really strong move for him this summer, or not in the Premier League.

"That's what I think will happen, but Millwall need to stand quite firm on that one I'd say."

Millwall FC must keep 25/26 potential in mind with Mihailo Ivanovic amid Wolves interest

It could be easy for Millwall to cash in on Ivanovic this summer with his stock already high and the club's undoubted ability to collect a swift and significant profit, but the reality is that the Championship side have leaned into an increasingly progressive and long-term approach towards recruitment which will likely see them harbour every intention of retaining the forward for as long as possible.

Just how possible that will be this time next year if Ivanovic's trajectory continues remains to be seen. But, should he continue progressing at the current rate, Lucas' point about potentially being able to net £20 million is perfectly reasonable.

A return of 15 to 20 goals, if not more, for what would by then be a 21-year-old striker leading the line in the second-tier, would represent a hugely impressive record that would not go unnoticed by any means. It would, as aforementioned, entitle Millwall to an even-more appeasing windfall.