Tottenham Hotspur want a new defender but Atletico Madrid’s Mario Hermoso and Lille’s Sven Botman are slipping down the Premier League club’s pecking order, as reported by the Daily Mail.
It’s fair to say left-footed centre-halves don’t grow on trees.
That’s precisely why Manchester City were forced to splash out nearly £50 million to sign Nathan Ake from a relegated Bournemouth two years ago. Why Josko Gvardiol, a 20-year-old with fewer than 30 Bundesliga starts under his belt, is emerging as one of the most coveted young players in European football.
While Ben Davies deserves huge credit for reinventing himself as a ball-playing centre-back in Antonio Conte’s three-man backline, The Athletic claims that finding an upgrade on the long-serving Welshman is one of Tottenham’s top priorities heading into the summer transfer window.
Tottenham want a defender – but which one?
Spurs are not the only European giant searching high and low for a left-sided defender, however. Gvardiol, reported to be the number one choice of managing director Fabio Paratici, is also on the radars of Chelsea and Newcastle United.
Nico Schlotterbeck confirmed his move to Borussia Dortmund over the weekend. Botman, meanwhile, has agreed terms ahead of a £25 million switch to Serie A champions-in-waiting AC Milan (90Min).
Botman, a Ligue 1 winner with Lille less than 12 months back, was also on Spurs’ hitlist. Tottenham appear to have given up the ghost, however. Hermoso is also slipping down the pecking order despite being discussed behind the scenes in North London, albeit for very different reasons.
Hermoso, a £25 million Spain international who can also play at left-back, is enduring a largely underwhelming season at an Atletico Madrid side in very real danger of missing out on Champions League qualification following their recent 2-0 reverse at the hands of Athletic Club.
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Tottenham are also keen on Inter Milan’s Conte favourite Alessandro Bastoni. The marauding Italian recently announced his desire to stay at the San Siro, however.
Villarreal’s Pau Torres is another target but he turned down Spurs last summer.
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