Milan Calls Over Kostov, Turks Still Await Red Star's Reply

News of the largest sum ever offered for a Red Star Belgrade player did not break at Marakana. It broke in Istanbul, from the account of Turkish journalist Ferhat Kiziltas, who works for Tivibu Sport. The figure is one Serbian clubs have never seen on paper before: Galatasaray have offered 25 million euros for Vasilije Kostov, plus another 15 percent of any future sale.

The offer reached the Serbian champions on Monday. As of today, August 15, there has been no answer from Marakana.

If Red Star eventually say yes, it would not just be the biggest outgoing transfer in the club’s history. It would also be the financially strongest offer ever made to a club from Serbian football, not merely a record for one summer.

How Much Does Red Star Want for Kostov?

Marakana’s asking price is no secret to anyone who has asked. Every interested club has been told the same thing: 20 million euros. That is five million less than what Galatasaray put on the table, plus the percentage of a future sale the Turks are offering on top of it.

Money, then, is not what is holding things up. No decision on the transfer has been made, and the silence since Monday suggests the club is weighing not just the amount, but the destination.

Milan Joins, Inter Walks Away

Today the other Milan club entered the story. Mateo Moreti, who covers Milan, said during a live segment on Fabrizio Romano’s YouTube channel that Milan’s executives have contacted the agents who manage Kostov’s career, as well as people at Red Star.

According to the same sources, the Italian club’s plan is to close the deal now while Kostov stays in Belgrade until next summer and continues playing regularly. The model is a familiar one in Serbian football, applied more than once: the buying club pays now, the player stays on loan at the club where he is already a regular starter, and arrives in Italy with another full season behind him.

Inter had topped the list of clubs seriously considering Kostov for months and, according to the same report, have now dropped out of the race. Interest is not lacking elsewhere. Several Premier League clubs are also tracking Kostov, and earlier this summer a deal with Arsenal looked closest to a concrete outcome.

What Is Behind the Number

Kostov is 18, plays as an attacking midfielder in the number ten role, and is a product of Red Star’s youth academy. That is part of the price that does not show up in the numbers from the pitch, since a club does not have to split the fee for a homegrown player with anyone.

The numbers from the pitch look like this:

• last season: 47 appearances across all competitions, 14 goals, 8 assists
• this season: 6 appearances, 4 goals, 1 assist

The second factor is what actually moved the market. Last season Kostov needed an average of more than three games per goal, this summer he needs fewer than one and a half. An eighteen year old leading the champions’ attack in August, without a dip in form, is not a talent that comes along every year, and that is what pulled offers out of Istanbul, Milan, and England in the same week.

What Comes Next

Red Star are entering this decision after a rough week. The club was knocked out by Hapoel, there has been a change on the bench, and new coach Riera makes his home debut at Marakana on August 20. Selling the best midfielder in the middle of that kind of shakeup is not a straightforward calculation, but turning down 25 million euros at a club with this budget is not simple either.

The next date on the calendar is August 20, the first match under the new coach. Until then, Belgrade is expected to answer the offer that has been sitting there since Monday.

My reading is that Kostov leaves this summer, but not for Turkey. The model Milan is offering, money now and the player staying in Belgrade until June, is the only one on the table that solves both Red Star’s cash problem and its season at the same time.