Tottenham must reportedly pay up a club-record fee if they are to sign RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol this summer, who is also wanted by Arsenal and Manchester City.
According to the Athletic, a left-sided centre-back is one of Antonio Conte’s top targets this summer, with the Croatian international one of a handful of options who Tottenham could sign, though at a club-record transfer fee given how highly Leipzig rate Gvardiol.
At 20-years-old, the ex-Dinamo Zagreb star is regarded by many as the next great Croatian talent, with former international and Bayern Munich star Ivica Olic hailing Gvardiol as an ‘extraordinary’ talent, and it makes sense why Tottenham are looking to sign the youngster.
Able to play centre-back and left-back with fantastic physicality and speed, Gvardiol is part of a new breed of football players who are both two-footed, good on the ball and have the strength to go toe-to-toe with some of the best in the game.
Indeed, with Arsenal and Pep Guardiola reportedly also in the race for Gvardiol, Tottenham face some strong competition to sign the Croat, with Conte set on signing a new starting centre-back for next season.
However, whilst there’s no denying that Tottenham could seduce Gvardiol to join the north London side, another question is would Spurs be willing to splash out a club-record fee for a 20-year-old who is currently in the business end of his first season in the Bundesliga.
Record transfer for Gvardiol is a huge risk for Tottenham and Paratici
Signing any player for a record fee is always going to be a huge risk for any club, yet for Tottenham and Fabio Paratici, going all out for Gvardiol and the defender potentially flopping could mean disaster for the Italian.
After all, the Spurs transfer guru has had a mixed record since joining the north London side last summer, and the last thing Paratici needs is to spend a club-record fee for Gvardiol only for the defender to struggle at Tottenham.
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