Birmingham City: Big Eck‘s keen on a Milan Jovanovic deal

Nov 25 2009 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

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Alex McLeish today that admitted he was keen on Standard Liege striker Milan Jovanovic.

But he said he wasn’t convinced whether the Serbia star was a realistic prospect for a Blues move in January, even before agent Barry McIntosh revealed a potential problem.

McIntosh claimed he was ‘about to get’ Jovanovic for McLeish but his legal dispute with Blues put a spanner in the works.

McIntosh reported Blues to FIFA after complaining that he was frozen out of the deal with Santos Laguna that brought Christian Benitez to Blues.

It was completed instead by rival agent Barry Silkman, a close friend of former co-owner David Sullivan.

Jovanovic interests Everton, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Roma, Stuttgart and Villa have been linked with him too.

McLeish told the Birmingham Mail: “I never thought we would have a chance of getting someone like Jovanovic.

“Having seen him in the summer I thought, yes, he’s quality.

“He’s out of contract at the end of this season and it was suggested there was an opportunity, but I don’t know.

“I don’t like to say too much because I don’t like disappointing the fans if players are mentioned and things then don’t happen.

“But I would definitely have Jovanovic at this club, if I could.”

Jovanovic’s price tag has been variously quoted between £4 million - £8 million.

Scorer of 76 goals in 129 games for Liege, he was absent from last night’s Champions League match at Arsenal due to injury.
Although McIntosh said he has a mandate to act on behalf of Liege, Blues and chief scout Paul Montgomery are on good terms with the club anyway after the summer pursuit of Oguchi Onyewu.

So they could quite easily negotiate with the Belgian club direct should they so wish.

McLeish’s assistant Roy Aitken and vice-chairman football Sammy Yu went to the Emirates and scouted the 2-0 Gunners success.

McLeish has been assessing a whole host of strikers across Continental Europe for past several weeks.

Salzburg’s Marc Janko remains under scrutiny along with talents such as Hoffenheim’s Vedad Ibisevic, although Blues are outsiders for the Bosnian, should he be sold.