‘Big clubs’ now want £3.2m striker Rangers could have had instead of Dessers
Nikola Krstovic is now a target for a number of ‘big clubs’ after Rangers missed out on a potential £3.2 million deal for Lecce’s Serie A breakout star.
There are shades of Krysztof Piatek at Genoa about the way Nikola Krstovic has taken Italian football by storm at Genoa.
A little-known, Eastern European forward arriving and hitting the ground running. So much so that his future is already the subject of much discussion, Lecce potentially set to do what Genoa did and make a huge profit on a player after just half a season of Serie A football.
Rangers looked at Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic
Rangers reportedly expressed interest in Krstovic; but, the former Dunajska Streda poacher chose to go to Lecce to emulate his idol and fellow Montenegrin, Mirko Vucinic.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, scouts from Italy’s top teams, including Inter and AC Milan, who signed Krstovic in 2019, are swarming the Stadio Via del Mare, just two months after the player signed his contract.
Krstovic’s agent, Milan Dudic, declined to comment on the veracity of the rumors. He does, however, acknowledge that one of Europe’s most highly mobile number nines is being closely watched by teams with considerably larger budgets than Rangers.
“His client has received inquiries from big clubs,” Dudic says to Calciomercato.
“One of the reasons behind him joining Lecce was positive experience in Salento of an important Montenegrin footballer like Vucinic. In the Balkans, then, Italian football has great appeal.
“There were other Italian clubs (interested) and other options in England and France. But Nikola was convinced by Lecce’s project and by (director Pantaleo) Corvino. There is a great feeling with the club and the city.”
Inter and AC Milan linked
The 23-year-old has four goals in seven Serie A starts so far. His form in stark contrast to that of Cyriel Dessers, the struggling striker who set Rangers back over £1 million more than Lecce paid for Krstovic.
