According to The Athletic, Tottenham have submitted a bid for Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, but it’s been rejected.
What’s the story?
Well, Tottenham have submitted a bid worth €15 million (£12.9 million) for the 23-cap Japan international, plus add-ons.
However, The Athletic believe Bologna want a guaranteed €17 million (£14.6 million) as well as add-ons.
In that respect, the north Londoners can’t be far away from a deal.
The Athletic claim that Fabio Paratici is leading negotiations, and Nuno Espírito Santo has been briefed on this particular transfer pursuit.
Interestingly, The Athletic add that Atalanta are also keen on Tomiyasu.
However, they have been told the 22-year-old’s preference is to join Spurs.
Now, that is pretty significant, seeing as Atalanta are in next season’s Champions League, and Tottenham aren’t.
Great start to business
Tottenham conceded 45 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, meaning they had the division’s sixth-best defence.
However, it didn’t seem that way out on the pitch.
The likes of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez were calamitous at times, and struggled to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI.
In that respect, signing a new defender is a great way to start business under Nuno.
At 22, Tomiyasu is a fantastic age for the long-term, while he also has enough experience to make himself useful in the immediate future.
Crucially, he can also operate at either centre-back or right-back, handing Nuno a helpful option in defence.
With just £1.7 million for Paratici to make up, and Tomiyasu himself keen to join, surely there’s no way Tottenham can mess this up.
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