Tottenham are leading the race for Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij, yet FC Barcelona are now in the mix to sign the Netherlands international.
FC Inter News claim that the north London club have the strongest case for signing the Serie A star, with the Italian giants aiming to sell De Vrij this summer if they can’t agree to a contract extension for €30m (£25m).
Tottenham have been linked with De Vrij for some time, however, Barcelona are also in contention to sign the former Lazio star, with the Catalan giants eager to find a prime replacement for the 35-year-old Gerard Pique.
Managing director Fabio Paratici is all too familiar with Barcelona, with the La Liga side beating Tottenham to the signing of Adama Traore at the eleventh hour, with the winger even taking a pay cut to sign for his former club.
After that nightmare episode for the Italian last month, Tottenham will be determined to not let it happen again, with De Vrij a player who could be perfect for Spurs over their UEFA Europa League rivals.
The defender was excellent under Antonio Conte during their two seasons together, and the chance to work again for the Italian in the Premier League could be an alluring prospect for De Vrij if Tottenham make the move first to sign him.
Tottenham must beat Barcelona to De Vrij signing after Traore episode
Tottenham looked set to sign Traore after two years chasing the Spanish attacker, and for Barcelona to swoop in at the final minute to sign the winger, Spurs should take this transfer personally and ensure they win the race for De Vrij.
The Dutch centre-back is a player who would improve both clubs, yet for Tottenham, signing De Vrij over Barcelona would be all that sweeter given what happened last month over Traore.
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