How Millwall have reacted to new 7-figure transfer bid for Mihailo Ivanovic | OneFootball

The Italian side have held a long-standing interest in the Lions' attacking ace

Serie A outfit Parma are looking to test Millwall's resolve in the summer transfer window, and they have submitted a seven-figure offer for the services of striker Mihailo Ivanovic.

An update from Alan Nixon via Patreon stated that the Lions are in a battle to retain the services of their star man between now and Monday's 7PM transfer deadline, with other clubs now alert to the developing situation surrounding the Serbian's immediate and long-term future.

However, it has since been reported by Peter Smith that the Italian side have seen a £7m bid swiftly rejected by the Lions, in what will be a major boost to all concerned with the club.

Millwall have been extremely active once again this transfer window in a bid to finally gatecrash the play-off places in what is Alex Neil's first full season in charge of the South London side, with Ivanovic central to such aims after a stellar first season in the Championship last time out for the 20-year-old.

It remains to be seen if he is still a member of the squad heading into the upcoming four-month period of uninterrupted action ahead of the January transfer window, with top-flight interest very much still intact.

Millwall FC see Serie A side Parma submit late seven-figure transfer offer for Mihailo Ivanovic

Ivanovic joined the club under Neil Harris last summer for a then-club-record fee of £2.8m from Vojvodina, scoring 13 times across 42 appearances as Millwall finished the season in eighth, just two points behind Bristol City, who finished inside the play-off spots.

Several of those strikes were of extremely high quality too, meaning it came as little surprise when the likes of Lazio, Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers were all credited with interest in one of the Championship's hottest properties on the transfer market.

Parma were first credited with an interest of their own alongside the aforementioned duo of Premier League clubs in early July, with it subsequently being claimed by Italian reporter, Gianluca Di Marzio, that Millwall swiftly rejected a €10m offer from the Serie A club for his services, as they demanded a fee in the region of €16m.

Amid fellow interest from newly-relegated Leicester City, who have reportedly since been put off a move for the young striker due to their second-tier rivals still demanding a fee in excess of £10m, Nixon's update states that Parma have made a lowball offer of just £6m for his signature.

Unsurprisingly, the transfer guru states that this bid is nowhere near the region which the side from the capital value their star man at, which has since been proven by the swift rejection of an ever-so-slightly higher offer, according to Smith's subsequent update.

Millwall FC must snub Mihailo Ivanovic offers at this moment in time

Parma's interest in bolstering their attacking department which currently includes Milan Djuric, Gabriel Charpentier and the recently-signed and now injured, ex-Hull City target, Matija Frigan, with the signing of Ivanovic has been well-documented. Yet, whilst it's obvious to so many that the forward has bundles of top-flight potential, Millwall must retain a bullish stance to proceedings.

Despite also having the likes of Josh Coburn, Macauley Langstaff and Kevin Nisbet as cover, it would be a fair assessment to say that none of those options are of the quality which the Serbian possesses, especially in a bid to challenge for the top-six once again after a strong start to the campaign.

It is clear that the hierarchy at the Den have built an extremely sustainable transfer model in recent times, which has been exemplified by the sales of Romain Esse and Japhet Tanganga to Crystal Palace and Sheffield United respectively, with the two sales bringing in almost £20m to the club's coffers.

Therefore, given his pedigree and future potential, it's not hard to see why Ivanovic is valued at an even greater figure and why another bid has been turned down