Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are watching Lecce and Denmark full-back Patrick Dorgu after he turned down a potential move to Premier League giants Chelsea.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
With interim boss Lars Knudsen giving chances to a number of rising stars at the start of this Nations League campaign, one of the finest young full-back in European football needed only 47 seconds to show what all the fuss was about.
Patrick Dorgu came off the bench late on with the score still goalless as Denmark faced off against Switzerland in midweek.
And the teenager needed less than a minute to break the deadlock, displaying the thrust, searing pace and attacking intent that has drawn comparisons with an up-and-coming Gareth Bale.
HITC understands that Dorgu has a host of big-hitting clubs glancing in his direction. And his scintillating impact in Copenhagen will only serve to boost his growing reputation.
Patrick Dorgu on Manchester United and Tottenham radar
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have checked on the 19-year-old. The Red Devils are in the market for a left-back due to the injury issues of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
Spurs, meanwhile, are eyeing competition for £21 million phenomenon Destiny Udogie with Ben Davies’ contract due to expire next summer.
HITC understands that Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are also watching Dorgu closely. The Serie A speedster is viewed at the Allianz Arena as a potential replacement for Alphonso Davies.
“It’s a super nice feeling. It couldn’t be much better,” Dorgu beams, speaking to TV 2 Sport after his dream Denmark debut.
“It was better than I expected. “I didn’t expect to score, so it was nice. I don’t think I’m going to forget the match any time soon!”
In an interview with Bold last year, Dorgu admitted that Chelsea was his ‘dream’ club.
The former Nordsjaelland starlet turned his nose up at a potential switch to Stamford Bridge over the summer, however, as he did not fancy being loaned out to Chelsea’s French-based sister club Strasbourg.
The West London giants also opted against bringing Dorgu directly to the English capital. Chelsea felt that Renato Veiga – a £12 million signing from FC Basel – better suited what Maresca needed in the present.
Comparisons with Spurs and Real Madrid icon Gareth Bale
“He is an attacking full-back. Offensively, he’s very good and now he’s expressing himself at his best,” Dorgu’s agent told Sport Italia last November, admitting that there was some truth to the reports linking him with Liverpool and Manchester City.
“England, Spain, Germany… From different countries, they try to contact me. When the time comes, we will know what to do.”
Fabrizio Romano, via his official YouTube channel, says Lazio are looking for a minimum of £30 million.
The comparisons between Patrick Dorgu and Spurs legend Bale will certainly catch the eye of the Tottenham faithful, the former sharing the latter’s fierce acceleration and his trademark swashbuckling runs down the wing.
“He seems to have great adaptability,” says Luca Gotti, Dorgu’s coach at Lecce, tipping his left-back for a more attacking role in the future, per Calciomercato. “He enjoys playing. Important people from the football world are starting to call me to ask me what I see.
“(Bale) become a forward, and he could have played as a full-back. This could happen with Dorgu.”
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