Potential Millwall FC, Mihailo Ivanovic exit fear played down amid £10m claim | OneFootball

FLW's Millwall fan pundit discussed potential transfer interest in highly-rated striker Mihailo Ivanovic

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Millwall have seemingly emerged out of nowhere to enter the Championship's ever-intensifying race for the final two top-six spots with just four fixtures to spare of the current campaign.

The Lions have struck a rich vein of form at the perfect time under Alex Neil, winning each of their last three matches and five of the last seven to join the likes of Bristol City, Coventry, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough in play-off contention.

Saturday afternoon's slender 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough, a direct play-off rival now tied on points with Millwall - who are ninth but just two points shy of sixth-placed Coventry - was a clear statement. Neil's side are firmly in the play-off reckoning now and can owe that, in part, to the performances of Mihailo Ivanovic, who has grown in stature and importance as the season has gone on.

The 20-year-old striker's arrival last summer from Serbian outfit Voljvodina in a reported club-record deal in the region of £3 million represented something of a gamble, although Millwall have seen both their faith and investment vindicated. Ivanovic has struck three times in his last five outings to take his tally up to nine goals for the season across all competitions, eight of which have come from 33 Championship appearances.

Ivanovic's age, profile and performances mean that transfer interest appears inevitable at some stage. His potential is undeniably exciting, and it would be no surprise to see him earn admiration elsewhere in the not-too-distant future.

However, the prospect of an imminent exit from The Den has been played down for the time being.

Millwall FC, Mihailo Ivanovic transfer exit fear played down

FLW asked our Lions fan pundit, Lucas Ball, whether he is concerned about top-flight clubs in both England and mainland Europe plotting potential moves for Ivanovic, and if the Serbian forward should already be valued in excess of £10 million.

Lucas believes Ivanovic should indeed command an eight-figure sum, but he has argued that the youngster remains raw in certain elements of his game and is therefore likely to spend at least another campaign with Millwall before sealing a big-money move away from the club.

"I think with Ivanovic, he has been very good, particularly since Alex Neil came in," Lucas told FLW.

"He obviously found game-time a little bit limited under Neil Harris. He's still very raw as a player, he has decent instinct infront of goal, can score all types of goals and has a decent catalogue of finishes both outside and inside the box, a couple of chips.

"He's shown he can score a wide variety of goals, which is really good for us.

"He's played up top alone and more recently with Josh Coburn as a front-two. He's doing well.

"He's still very young and raw, though. There are other bits of his game that aren't necessarily there at times, his hold-up play for someone as tall as he is isn't always that good but he's learning the game, he's learning English football and he's adapting to a new country as a young man moving over.

"He seems to love it and really enjoy the club and the atmosphere and everything that brings.

"I think clubs are naturally going to be having a look. He's nearly got to double figures in his first season in England, there's a natural element of that. Of course some clubs are going to take notice.

"But I think they'll see some other aspects of his game as being a little bit too raw, so they'll probably give him another season. There are probably clubs keeping an eye on him and if we were to sell, I'm sure we'd be looking at £10 million plus.

"It's a nice position to be in, I'm sure we'll get at least another year out of him."

Millwall FC will surely net big Mihailo Ivanovic transfer profit

It could be a case of when, rather than if, pertaining to an exit for Ivanovic. At this current rate, the Lions' long-term ambitions of retaining Ivanovic as a core part of their future will surely hinge on getting to the Premier League in the next twelve months.

When the time comes for Ivanovic to move on, though, Millwall will surely be poised to net a handsome profit. Their £3 million investment last summer felt like a gamble, but it has paid dividends and is likely to represent chump change.

Still aged just 20, Ivanovic has enjoyed a positive introduction to the Championship and will only be expected to kick on further in 25/26. He has gone from strength to strength in recent times and has huge potential, which Millwall could cash in on in a great way when the time comes.