Tottenham Hotspur may now have the chance to sign an attacker they reportedly chased in the summer.
It was a busy summer for Spurs, which saw them bring in Thomas Frank as manager, and sealing permanent deals for Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel.
They also landed a loan move for PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani, seemingly providing all the firepower necessary.
Door open for Tottenham to seal summer target
It hasn’t quite gone to play for Spurs so far, however, with the team stuck in 11th place and their fresh attackers struggling to make opposition teams pay.
The January transfer window is just around the corner, and with it comes an opportunity to land a player Spurs were interested in in the summer, available at a knockdown price.
According to Fichajes in the summer, Spurs were plotting a move for Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo that could have cost up to €70m.
That never materialised, and the north London club may be thankful it didn’t, as the same Spanish outlet are now claiming the Japan international could be available for as little as €40m, just over half his potential summer value.
It follows a difficult season for the 24-year-old, who has managed just one goal and one assist in 14 La Liga outings this term, playing on the right wing.
That’s an uncharacteristically poor return for Kubo, who registered five goals last season, 11 goal involvements the season before that and 16 goal involvements in 2022/23.
Based on Fichajes report, however, the Spanish side are losing patience with the La Masia-schooled winger and are ready to cash in now before his value drops any further.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, this is a transfer that Spurs need to tread very carefully with.
One way of looking at it is the Premier League capitalising on a dropped value based on current form, from which they can help Kubo recover and potentially profit further down the line.
Another viewing is that the Japanese attacker’s output is a case of diminishing returns, that he has peaked young and regressed since then. If Spurs are taking the gamble, they need to be confident he sits in the first camp.