OM are very close to concluding the future transfer of Ivan Ilic. The Hellas Verona midfielder should end the season in Italy, before crossing the Alps next summer to join Marseille. At 21, the Serbian international, who played under Igor Tudor last season, shows very promising potential.
The winter transfer window is still in progress, but OM are already preparing for next summer’s. The Marseille club is about to conclude the future transfer of Ivan Ilic. A file managed discreetly by President Pablo Longoria and his teams. Even if nothing has been signed yet, the Hellas Verona midfielder should sign with Marseille for the 2023-2024 financial year. An agreement has been reached for the 21-year-old to finish the season in Italy, before crossing the Alps in a few months to sign a contract until 2028.
On the Canebière, Ivan Ilic should find Igor Tudor, his former mentor in Verona. The Croatian coach had made him one of his strong men in Veneto, with 34 appearances punctuated by 2 goals and 5 assists last season (in all competitions). Renowned for his technical ease, the n°14 of Hellas occupies a central midfield position, but he is also able to evolve as a torchbearer or in a more defensive register.
Ball retention, short dribbling and precise openings
Very easy in small spaces, Ilic is distinguished by his ability to keep the ball surrounded by several opponents, his skill in short dribbling, his feints, his glance and his one-touch deviations. The namesake of an American pianist of Serbian origin (thirteen years his senior) is also adept at precise openings and big hits. Able to break the lines and lengthen the game, he can also take set pieces.
With his many tattoos, including a huge one that covers his back and represents a face with feminine features in a tiger’s mouth, Ivan Ilic knows how to impose himself on the meadow. After starting out at FK Real Nis, the club of his hometown (south-eastern Serbia), he joined Red Star Belgrade to complete his training.
Manchester City signed him when he was 16
Manchester City did not hesitate to pay 2.5 million euros to bring him to England at the age of 16, in July 2017. But the promising midfielder, loaned out three times (Red Star of Belgrade , FK Zemun, NAC Breda), ultimately never had a chance with the Skyblues, with whom he did not play a single minute. Hellas Verona first obtained his loan for a season, before recruiting him definitively in the summer of 2021 for 7.5 million euros.
His good performances opened the doors to the Serbian team. After celebrating his first selection in June 2021, during a friendly against Jamaica (1-1), Ivan Ilic was called up by Dragan Stojkovic to play in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Verona player played half an hour of the first match against Brazil (0-2), before remaining on the bench against Cameroon (3-3) and Switzerland (2-3). The Eagles were finally out of the group stage, finishing last in group G.
A rating estimated at 13 million euros
Linked until 2026 with Hellas, Ilic has participated in 12 games for his club this season, delivering a decisive pass (in all competitions). The European press has spoken in recent weeks of the interests of Torino and Arsenal. It remains to be seen how much OM are preparing to spend to bring him in next June. The specialized site Transfermarkt assesses its rating on the market at 13 million euros.
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