Tottenham Hotspur are turning their attention to the forward line as they continue a summer spree which has already seen an outlay of more than £230m. The north London club, who have finished 17th in the Premier League in the last two seasons, are in no mood for this worrying trend to continue as they have already upgraded their defence and midfield.
Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have arrived on free transfers, with Jean Paul Van Hecke joining from Brighton for £52m to bolster a defensive unit that conceded 57 goals in the Premier League last season.
Despite Spurs’ savvy signings in the back line, the arrivals of midfielders Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali are deservedly dominating the headlines, owing to Tottenham’s reported £185m spend on the pair.
Tottenham show no signs of slowing down in this transfer window, with Roberto De Zerbi wanting all his major signings through the door before pre-season begins. As such, Tottenham are now focusing on bringing in a new left forward, a position that no Spurs player has made undisputedly their own since the departure of Son Heung-min last summer.
According to The Independent , Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi heads a list of Tottenham’s targets for left forward, with AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and Manchester City’s Savinho rounding out De Zerbi’s three-man shortlist.
Kroupi, however, has a number of suitors this summer such as Premier League champions Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, and as such Bournemouth will demand a figure upwards of £80m to sanction his departure.
But under a new football leadership Tottenham will not be priced out of the race for Kroupi as may have once been the case, as shown by their persistence to strike a deal with Newcastle for Sandro Tonali that could rise to £100m.
Rafael Leao, ex-teammate and close friend of new Spurs man Tonali, has also been broached as an option in informal discussions with Milan, though no steps have yet been taken to enter formal negotiations for the Portuguese international.
Leao, who has played seven seasons in Milan, has admitted over recent weeks that he is ready for a new experience outside of Italy. According to reports from Italy, AC Milan have thus placed a valuation in the region of £55m on the winger, despite rumours he could be available for as little as £42m earlier on in the summer. The 27-year-old, who had a difficult campaign under Max Allegri, is the Rossoneri’s top earner and told Portuguese media ahead of the World Cup that he was in need of a new challenge next season.
“I already won two trophies in Italy and have been there for a while,” Leao told Sport TV, “I think the Premier League or La Liga would make more of my talent, as a player.”
“If a Premier League opportunity were to come along, I would be very happy,” he added.
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As such, should Tottenham capitalise on the Portuguese international’s desire to move to the Premier League, Leao would certainly join Fernandes and Tonali in the category of statement signings.
It is understood that Manchester City’s Savinho, who the north London club pushed hard for last summer, remains on Tottenham’s radar. The Brazilian, who scored one goal in 24 appearances in the Premier League last campaign, would reportedly cost something in the region of £60m.
Tottenham’s intent to spend big this summer indicates an acceptance that the squad, which avoided relegation on the Premier League’s final day, is in dire need of an overhaul if they are to maintain their status as one of the biggest clubs in English football. Should a player of Kroupi’s calibre arrive, Tottenham are looking at an outlay in the region of £350m, quite comfortably the north London side’s biggest shopping spree of all time.