“Vardar? Don’t be ridiculous!” – scoffed Artem Milevskiy at the rumors linking him to Vardar via his VKontakte profile.

Ukrainian national team striker Artem Milevskiy is currently a free agent after leaving Kazakh side Aktobe earlier in February. A lot of rumors have circulated over his next destination, one of them linking him to the reigning Macedonian champion Vardar. Of course, the main reason for this speculation is Vardar’s new owner, Russian magnate Sergey Samsonenko who will look to strengthen the team with players from the former Soviet Union.

The 29-year-old Milevskiy would certainly be a great addition for any Macedonian club, but the bitter reality is that the Macedonian league is not all that attractive to players of that caliber. Instead, Vardar may have to reinforce the squad with more realistic signings such as Kantemir Berkhamov, a 25-year-old midfielder who is currently a free agent after leaving Ural in early April.

Another possible signing for Vardar is 25-year-old Liberian central defender Omega Roberts who is currently playing for Montenegrin side Mladost from Podgorica, on loan from Serbian giant Crvena Zvezda. Slovakian national team left winger Michal Breznaník, who was also connected with Vardar, signed for Sparta Praha few days ago so his name is no longer in play.

Vardar brought in several foreign players during the past winter transfer window and also hired a Russian coach, but the Red&Black have been under-performing as they have recorded 3 defeats plus 3 draws during the second half of the season.  Their wins have only occurred against the bottom teams on the table. With 3 rounds remaining until the end of the season, Vardar is in 4th place, trailing the leaders Rabotnichki by 4 points. The next round will see a matchup between Vardar and Rabotnichki.