The agent of Genoa defender Radu Dragusin claims that Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are battling joined Premier League rivals Newcastle United in the race for the Romania international.
Barely a week goes by without an update from Florin Manea and, when quizzed by Turkish publication Fanatik, Radu Dragusin’s motor-mouth agent again stoked the fires of speculation as his £25 million-rated client holds talks with a number of interested clubs.
Manea has been open about Newcastle United’s interest, the Romanian representative boasting strong relations with Magpies director Dan Ashworth.
Newcastle, however, are far from the only deep-pocketed Premier League club looking to strike a potential mid-season deal with a man who, at the age of 21, has already established himself as the ‘leader of the Genoa defence’.
Arsenal and Tottenham in Radu Dragusin race
“The people from Genoa know (that he will soon leave),” Manea explains.
“I have been in London for some time and have almost weekly meetings with important teams. We are getting closer. I spoke with Newcastle, with Arsenal, with Tottenham. I also have the messages with them, conversations. There are teams that ask.
“I want to say that, 100 per cent by next summer, Radu will play for a very strong club. One in the top 10 in the world. He wants to be in the Premier League, but I know that Milan like him a lot. I talked to the people there.”
Dragusin, who models his game on Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, would tick a lot of boxes for a Newcastle side in the market for a right-sided centre-half. Under Ashworth and Eddie Howe, Newcastle have invested heavily in potential, and 21-year-old Dragusin is hardly short of that.
Tottenham, meanwhile, lack genuine depth at the back, a paper-thin defence exposed by the absences of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. Spurs are also looking at Club America’s Uruguay international Sebastian Caceres, and he is likely to be far cheaper with his contract expiring in 12 months’ time.
Spurs need centre-backs
“(The interested clubs) must first come to terms with Genoa,” Manea adds, a new deal as yet unsigned between Dragusin and the Rossoblu.
“We have a contract extension offer on the table. We understood each other but we said that, if a club comes and we like it, we want to leave and leave us for around 30 million euros.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
