Exclusive: Millwall close in on big Mihailo Ivanovic contract breakthrough | OneFootball

Millwall are advancing in contract talks with star striker Mihailo Ivanovic, FLW understands.

Millwall are advancing in contract talks with star striker Mihailo Ivanovic, Football League World has exclusively been informed.

It's been a mixed bag of results to start the 25/26 season for Millwall.

Alex Neil's side have taken seven points from their opening five league games, but are winless in their last two ahead of their clash with Watford at The Den this evening.

Millwall set for Mihailo Ivanovic contract breakthrough

One of the big reasons behind the Lions' modest start has been their lack of cutting edge in attack, with just four goals scored from their opening five Championship games.

Sharing in this slow start in front of goal is Millwall's talismanic forward, Mihailo Ivanovic, who after a 12-goal debut campaign for the club in the second tier last term, is yet to get off the goalscoring mark this season.

However, the catalyst for his season to kickstart could be just around the corner, and it's one that will delight Millwall fans everywhere.

Football League World has exclusively been informed that the Lions are advancing in contract talks with the 20-year-old, and hope to have an agreement on a new deal sorted this week.

Having arrived from Serbian side Vojvodina in August of last year, the little-known striker quickly became a household EFL name thanks to his highly impressive debut season in Bermondsey.

13 goals in 40 total appearances for the club last term saw him comfortably finish as the team's top scorer, and also saw him named as Millwall's Young Player of the Season.

However, word of his exploits in South East London travelled fast, and so the club had to endure a summer transfer window of fierce interest in his services.

Parma, Everton, Wolves and fellow Championship rivals Leicester City were all credited with holding a major interest in securing his signature, but with the Lions reportedly holding out for £15m, no deal materialised.

It's become ever-increasingly clear in recent times that Millwall are not content with the relative comfort of consistent mid-table Championship finishes.

Indeed, despite one relegation scare in 18/19 when finishing 21st, the Lions have only ever recorded one other bottom-half finish in the second tier (13th in 23/24) since their promotion from League One in 2017.

However, after making numerous big-money splashes this summer on the likes of Alfie Doughty and Josh Coburn, as well as making some eye-catching loan additions with the likes of Will Smallbone and Thierno Ballo, the Lions are now evidently trying to evolve into genuine and perennial promotion contenders.

For a club which doesn't have the biggest budget in the Championship, selling Ivanovic for a substantial eight-figure fee, and possibly a club-record sale at that, must have naturally been tempting for Millwall.

So, the message that resisting such cash-in temptations and inking their starman to a new contract sends, is one that will notify the rest of the Championship to their intentions of becoming a real force in this division for many years to come.

Also, putting any immediate speculation over his future as a Millwall player to rest may also enable Ivanovic to breathe easier, and could prove to be the catalyst for him to start firing home the goals once again as the Lions look to start climbing the Championship table.