Report: Arsenal want to sign ‘special’ Tottenham player, may cost £15m

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Premier League high-flyers Arsenal have been linked with a shock move for Tottenham Hotspur winger Steven Bergwijn, via Calciomercato. 

And if you read that sentence with a rather puzzled expression on your face, then we don’t blame you.

Yes, Tottenham are listening to offers for a man who’s recent resurgence in North London – sparked by those 80 mad seconds against Leicester City in January – has been checked by Dejan Kulusevski’s immediate impact under Antonio Conte. 

According to reports, Spurs would accept a bid in the region of £15 million, just two-and-a-half years after signing Bergwijn for nearly twice as much. 

AC Milan are keen. Unsurprisingly so, given that the Serie A leaders have made a habit of signing players down on their luck before rebuilding their reputations at the San Siro. See Fikayo Tomori, Brahim Diaz, Olivier Giroud and co. 

Ajax, meanwhile, failed with a January bid for the former PSV Eindhoven skipper and could return in the summer. Especially if, as expected, the mercurial Anthony attracts offers from some of Europe’s bonafide big-hitters. 

Is Steven Bergwijn leaving Tottenham?

So, yes, Bergwijn may be packing his bags at the end of this season.

But while there appears to be a good chance of the Dutchman boarding a flight to Milan, you’d get long odds on Bergwijn making the 4 mile trip down High Road from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to the Emirates. 

Of course, Bergwijn would not be the first player to represent both Spurs and Arsenal.

William Gallas, however, swapped one London giant for another after his Gunners deal expired. He was a free-agent at the time. Emmanuel Adebayor signed for Tottenham after a spell at Manchester City. 

But Tottenham selling an exciting young attacker to their near neighbours, albeit one who has found game time hard to come by under Antonio Conte? That is pretty much unprecedented in the modern era. 

“For me, he is an important player with special characteristics,” Conte said recently. “No one else in the team has these characteristics.

“He is good technically, he beats his man, he is a striker and in good physical condition. It is an important choice for me – I can put him in the starting eleven or bring him on in the game.”