Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Leander Dendoncker has been touted as a possible transfer target for Serie A outfit Lazio.
According to Corriere dello Sport, as cited by Sport Witness, Simone Inzaghi’s side could come calling for the Belgian midfielder in the next transfer window.
It is stated in the report that Wolves’ defensive midfielder is thought of as a potential replacement for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should he leave the Stadio Olimpico.
Alongside Dendoncker, Corriere dello Sport also touted João Palhinha and Florentino Luís of the Portuguese top flight as other potential avenues.
However, the 25-year-old Belgian’s staff ‘assure the interest is real’ from the Italian outfit.
While ‘no contacts have taken place yet’ between the two clubs, there is a belief at Lazio that Dendoncker could be prised away from the Old Gold for just €25million (£22.4m).
TIF Thoughts…
While Dendoncker has been relatively solid for Wolves in the Premier League this season with a 6.68/10 average rating making made him Wolves’ tenth-best performer (per WhoScored), statistics may suggest that he is not a suitable replacement for the Serbian star.
This season, Milinkovic-Savic has been the third-best performer for Lazio in Serie A with a whopping 7.33/10 average rating from 25 appearances (per WhoScored).
Defensively, the Serbian has made fewer tackles (1.6) than Dendoncker (1.9) per league game on average this term but has made more interceptions (1.3) than the Belgian has done (1.2).
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The key differences between the two players emerge when contemplating their attacking statistics, though, as Lazio’s man betters Dendoncker by far.
This season, Milinkovic-Savic has taken 2.0 shots, made 1.2 key passes and completed 1.2 dribbles per league game on average, whereas the Belgian has taken 0.4 shots, made 0.2 key passes and completed 0.6 dribbles per Premier League outing.
So, it is clear that the two 25-year-olds are not players of similar ilk and it seems that the Belgian would likely not make a good replacement for the Serbian.