Tottenham Hotspur are keen on signing RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol – who is now considered to be the top Under-23 rookie in the big five leagues.
Antonio Conte has brought his back three system to Tottenham. With no recognised left-sided centre back, Ben Davies has played there.
Primarily a left back, Davies has fared well as a left-sided centre back. Yet with Conte aiming for the very top, another option is seemingly wanted.
The Daily Mail reported in March that Tottenham were focusing their efforts on Leipzig star Gvardiol.
The Athletic added just last week that Tottenham would be facing a club-record fee for Gvardiol. Unsurprisingly, Leipzig are reluctant to sell.
Gvardiol, 21, only joined up with Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb last summer but has made an instant impact in the Bundesliga.
A true left-sided centre back, Gvardiol is what Tottenham are seeking. He’s quick, strong and aggressive whilst being able to play out from the back.
Gvardiol would be a huge capture for Tottenham, with the idea of him and Cristian Romero in the back three a tantalising one.
Football Observatory CIES hawve now published their top transfer values for under-23 players in their first seasons in a top five league.
Gvardiol sits top of the lot, with CIES calculating that he should be worth around €96million (£80million) in the transfer market.
Tottenham absolutely won’t be paying that kind of money for Gvardiol, but this just goes to show how highly the Croatian international is rated.
Tottenham may have to go north of £60million to get Gvardiol to North London; to get close to that, Tottenham will need Champions League football.
Even then, a deal will be incredibly difficult and Tottenham are wise to have alternatives in mind such as Freiburg’s Nico Schlotterbeck.
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