Sergej Milinkovic-Savic allayed fears of his departure from Lazio as he belatedly reported for pre-season with the club, telling fans that he intends to remain at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Serbian international enjoyed a stellar World Cup and has been linked with a move away from Rome to join one of a number of big clubs throughout Europe.
The 23-year-old midfielder was expected to return to training yesterday, but instead only arrived today at the Clinica Paideia for a medical.
The player's agent Mateja Kezman later insisted that this was down to a missed flight out of Belgrade, according to Football Italia.
When asked by fans outside the facility on whether he would remain with the Biancocelesti, Milinkovic-Savic responded: "Of course I'm staying, do you not see that I'm here?"
Lazio head coach Simone Inzaghi previously professed his belief that the €100million-rated (£89m/$116m) star would remain with the club, despite the lure of Champions League football with Serie A rivals Juventus, among others.
Other potential suitors include Real Madrid and the Premier League duo of Manchester United and Chelsea, all of whom are rumoured to be willing to meet Lazio’s asking price in the event of a sale.
Milinkovic-Savic joined Lazio from Genk in 2015 and has since made 122 appearances for the club, scoring 25 goals.
He won his first piece of silverware in Italy in 2017 when he helped them to a 3-2 win over Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana.
He also featured in three of his country’s World Cup games as they narrowly missed out on qualification from the group stages in Russia.
Lazio are also fending off interest from Tottenham over star striker Ciro Immobile, though the 28-year-old has stated that he is happy at the club and expects to sign a new contract soon, despite his current deal running through to 2022.
Immobile netted 29 goals last season, a feat only matched by Inter's Mauro Icardi, and has also been linked with a move away to Milan.
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