Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of a young South American starlet has just got a lot more complicated ahead of the January transfer window.
It has been reported over recent weeks that Tottenham want to add another centre-back to their squad in January.
This is despite Kevin Danso’s solid displays this season and Radu Dragusin’s impending return to fitness from his ACL injury.
It first emerged last month that Spurs have expressed an interest in River Plate starlet Lautaro Rivero, who is quickly building a reputation as one of the best young defenders in Argentine football.
However, the Lilywhites now face competition from some of the biggest clubs in Europe for the 22-year-old.
Real Madrid enter race for Tottenham target Lautaro Rivero
A few weeks ago, a Razon claimed that Atletico Madrid are ready to challenge Spurs for Rivero’s signature in January.
Now, a new report in El Desmarque has claimed that Tottenham and Atletico Madrid have been joined in the race for the centre-back by Real Madrid.
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It is explained that with Antonio Rudiger’s exit on the cards next summer, Los Blancos have identified the River Plate youngster as a potential option to replace the German.
However, this has not put off Tottenham, who remain determined to unite Rivero with his senior compatriot Cristian Romero at N17.
How much would Spurs have to pay for Rivero?
El Desmarque also spoke to journalist Lucas Gatti, who says that River Plate would be open to offers for the centre-back and would sell him for under his €100m (£87.7m) release clause in January.
Gatti is quoted as saying about Rivero: “He’s already a starter at River Plate under Marcelo Gallardo. He has a contract until December 31, 2028, with a €100m clause, but that’s a symbolic figure, since if an offer comes in that’s interesting for all parties, they’ll sit down and analyse it.”