Tottenham are reportedly battling Liverpool in pursuit of Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella in the coming January window having tried to do a deal in the summer – and they could have a trump card in the form of Japhet Tanganga.
The 25-year-old Italy international is continuing to impress at Inter in what is his fourth season at the club. Starring under Antonio Conte during the 2020-21 Scudetto win, Barella has already played an enormous 141 times for Inter.
Considered one of Serie A’s best midfielders, it is of little surprise he is generating interest. Liverpool have been long-term admirers. But new reports claim that Spurs wanted him in the summer, and Conte is ‘requesting’ a Barella deal.
A fee of £60million would be required. But with both clubs more than financially capable of reaching that figure, Spurs may have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to oust Liverpool’s interest. Japhet Tanganga could offer them just that.
Tottenham battling Liverpool in Barella pursuit: Tanganga trump card
In the summer, Inter Milan were showing interest in Tottenham defender Tanganga. As things stand, he remains on the fringes of the Spurs side. The 23-year-old finally made his first appearance of the season, as a sub against Marseille.
He has been unused up until then. With Davinson Sanchez and Cristian Romero the first two picks on the right of the back three, and three options at right wing-back, Tanganga has little chance of breaking into Tottenham’s starting XI.
So, he needs a move, and Inter Milan’s interest is unlikely to have waned from their initial interest. The club did sign Francesco Acerbi but at 34 and only on loan, he is just a short-term fix. So, Inter will still want Tanganga.
If Spurs offered a decent cash fee, perhaps in the region of £40million, and Tanganga – surely that would convince Inter to prefer to sell to their old manager in Conte, over Liverpool. It will be interesting to see if a move happens in January.
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