Tottenham Hotspur want Ko Itakura but Napoli are now pushing to beat Spurs and a Saudi Arabian club to his signature.
Napoli have failed with a first offer for Tottenham Hotspur target Ko Itakura but aren’t far away from a deal.
That is according to Gazzetta dello Sport, who claim that Napoli are moving to sign Itakura.
It’s stated that Napoli have offered €12million (£10.2million) for Itakura whereas Borussia Monchengladbach want at least €15million (£12.8million).
That’s a gap of just £2.6million, leaving Napoli with a very small gap to bridge.
Napoli are losing South Korean star Kim Min-jae to Bayern Munich and are now looking to the Asian market again by targeting Itakura as his replacement.
Sky Germany claim that Napoli and Tottenham are both keen on Itakura but it looks like the Serie A champions are winning the race.
Ange Postecoglou could miss out on Ko Itakura again
This could be the third summer in a row in which Ange Postecoglou has seemingly wanted to sign Itakura, only to miss out.
Tottenham boss Postecoglou will have seen Itakura shine in Japan during his time as Yokohama F. Marinos manager.
Postecoglou brought a number of Japanese players to Celtic and actually fancied signing Itakura too.
The Daily Record reported in 2021 that Postecoglou wanted to sign Itakura but Schalke won that particular race.
Schalke couldn’t afford to turn the move permanent and the Manchester Evening News suggested that Celtic were interested again.
Postecoglou missed out though as Gladbach pounced to sign Itakura permanently, ending Celtic’s hopes.
Postecoglou now fancies bringing Itakura to Tottenham but may well miss out again with Napoli closing in.
Saudi Arabian club also want Itakura
As if battling Napoli – boasting a Serie A title win and Champions League football – wasn’t enough, Tottenham will also face competition from Saudi Arabia.
Italian transfer reporter Rudy Galletti claims that the battle for Itakura is now a ‘fierce head to head’ between Napoli and Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.
Itakura has allegedly received a ‘rich’ offer from Al Nassr as they look to add quality signings around Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 26-year-old may now face an interesting dilemma.
Does he make a move to the Premier League and join a manager who has wanted him for years in Postecoglou?
Does he join the Italian champions and attempt to follow in Kim’s footsteps, or does he take huge money in Saudi Arabia?
All of these options could appeal for different reasons and Itakura must seen decide his future.
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