Manchester United lodge bid for Fiorentina defender

Manchester United have reportedly made a bid worth £52.8m to acquire the signature of Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina.

United boss Jose Mourinho had personally scouted the centre-back during the Nations League game between Serbia and Montenegro and he appears to have been impressed with what he saw on the field.

According to La Nazione, the Portuguese tactician provided a positive feedback on the performance of the 21-year-old and United have now made a formal bid of around £52.8m for the former Partizan ace.

Mourinho had been keen on pursuing a central defender during the summer and this saw the club linked with both Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Tottenham Hotspur's Toby Alderweireld.

However, to the frustration of the Portuguese, neither player joined the club with the hierarchy showing a reluctance to pay over the odds for their preferred targets.

Manchester United will be aiming to secure back-to-back Premier League wins when they make the trip to west London to face Chelsea in six days' time.