Tottenham Hotspur are now keen on signing a defender who could be available for £29m this summer, but they may have to do battle for his signature with their Premier League rivals, according to a report.
Tottenham returning to form in the Premier League
Amid the injury crisis at N17, Tottenham have been through a tricky spell, but they are now showing much more promising signs in the Premier League, winning their last three games on the spin.
Most recently, Ange Postecoglou’s side put Ipswich Town to the sword at Portman Road, emerging as 4-1 winners, and the good news doesn’t stop there, as several key members of the squad are set to return soon.
Both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero should be available for the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 tie against AZ Alkmaar, which will be welcome news for Postecoglou, having been severely limited on options in defence for some time.
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When everybody is fit, Postecoglou has some solid options at centre-back, with Kevin Danso also joining from Lens in the January transfer window, but a report has revealed Tottenham are looking at signing another defender in the summer.
According to a report from Caught Offside, Spurs are keen on signing Juventus centre-back Federico Gatti, with the Italian club open to selling for a fee of €30m – €35m (£25m – £29m) in the summer in order to fund their own transfer business.
West Ham United and Nottingham Forest are also named as potential suitors for Gatti, so there could be competition for his signature, but the Lilywhites are thought to be particularly keen.
The 26-year-old is thought to be open to a move to the Premier League, but the fact he may not be guaranteed a starting spot in Postecoglou’s side could prove to be a stumbling block.
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Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|
Manchester City (h) |
February 26th |
|
AFC Bournemouth (h) |
March 9th |
|
Fulham (a) |
March 16th |
|
Chelsea (a) |
April 2nd |
|
Southampton (h) |
April 5th |
Gatti could be a solid squad player
The injury crisis Postecoglou has been forced to endure this season underlines the need to have strength in depth, particularly when competing in Europe, and there are signs the Juventus defender could be a solid option.
Lauded as an “absolute hero” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Italian has been a regular starter for Juventus in the Serie A this season, while also making nine appearances in the Champions League.
It would of course be difficult to displace Van de Ven and Romero in the starting XI, but Gatti’s experience at the top level make him a good rotation option to have at the very least.
The only issue is it could be difficult to convince the Rivoli-born defender to make the move without a guarantee of regular game time, but it is certainly worth a try.
