Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou has dismissed reports of a $1.5 million dollar bid from English Premier League side Crystal Palace for Mark Milligan, claiming his midfield lynchpin is not going anywhere this season.
“We’ve had a bid from Palace over the weekend but it’s fallen short of our expectations,” he told assembled media this morning.
“He’s contracted for another two years and we see him as an important part of what we’re building here at this point in time.
“Unless something changes – and things change pretty quickly in our game – but we value him very very highly.
“If somebody was to look to prise him away from us then we’d expect them to meet our valuation of him.”
Postecoglou was evasive when prompted to mention a value for the defensive midfielder though, explaining that the club had no requirement to provide such a figure on a player it wanted to keep.
“I’m not really sure because we haven’t got a for sale sign up,” he said.
“If somebody knocks on your door and says I want your house, do you give him a price?
“Look I understand Milsy is a highly sought after player which is fantastic but he enjoys this club and the fans, and he understands he is in this position because of this football club.”
Milligan has enjoyed a remarkably successful return to Australia since signing for Victory from Japanese club JEF United Chiba, and is on the second year of a three-year contract.
Unlike Marco Rojas’ move to VfB Stuttgart earlier this year, Milligan’s contracted status and Victory’s relatively healthy finances mean the club is in a strong negotiating position and unlikely to accept anything below the player’s market value.
“He’s the best player at our club, he’s the best player in the country at the moment, so I don’t think we need to be trying to flog him for the money,” Postecoglou said.
The exact value of Crystal Palace’s bid remains a mystery though, with the Victory coach reluctant to reveal a figure.
“That’s for [Palace] to disclose,” he said.
“You’ve sold a house before, do you tell your neighbours what you sold it for?”