Tottenham Hotspur are pursuing the signing of Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, but Arsenal have suddenly been mentioned as a possible destination.
Tottenham have been linked with an outrageous number of Serie A players since Fabio Paratici’s arrival as director of football, and Tomiyasu looks like the most likely to sign.
The Japanese defender has impressed at centre back or right back in Italy, and he could provide new Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo with a versatile, solid option at the back.
Tottenham don’t have a deal yet though. Yes, reports in Italy suggest that Spurs have agreed terms with Tomiyasu, but they are still a few million away from meeting Bologna’s asking price.
Paratici and Daniel Levy love a bit of brinkmanship, but some Tottenham fans have been left panicking after reports in Italy claimed that Arsenal have joined the race.
Tottenham missing out on a top target to Arsenal would be seen as embarrassing and frustrating, but maybe that’s the point.
We all know that Arsenal are pushing for Ben White as their big defensive signing of the summer, so signing another player of a similar profile – young, talented, capable of playing at right back or centre back – doesn’t quite make sense.
The links to Arsenal ultimately feel like a tactic to get Tottenham to pay up, leaked to the media knowing that Spurs wouldn’t want to miss out to their bitter rivals.
Tottenham aren’t too far away from a deal here, and Paratici is unlikely to panic given that he will have a number of alternative targets in mind.
Arsenal’s alleged interest just doesn’t make sense, and if Tottenham really do have terms agreed with Tomiyasu already, then these new links to the Gunners shouldn’t leave Paratici and co fretting.
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