Dennis Cirkin came through Spurs' academy and is now being linked with a return that would solve a Champions League problem
Dennis Cirkin is a target for Tottenham Hotspur with the London giants said to be preparing to make their move.
Crucially, the Sunderland left-back is a former Spurs youth having grown up in the north London club’s academy.
UEFA rules mean that Cirkin has become a target for his former club who he left in 2021.
Cirkin played a big part in their promotion to the Premier League but it is understood the Black Cats would be prepared to accept offers in the region of £20m.
Spurs’ new head coach Thomas Frank is fully concentrated on rebuilding his squad and Cirkin fits into his style of play and principles.
Upgrading the starting XI will be the topmost priority, though, Spurs will need to add quality depth to their squad to be able to compete across multiple fronts.
Having won the Europa League by beating Manchester United in the final in May, the Lilywhites subsequently qualified for the Champions League. Therefore, they must comply with UEFA’s rules in order to compete in the Champions League.
As per Football London, UEFA rules state that Tottenham must have four ‘club-trained players’ in their squad, someone who has been on a club’s books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. Currently, they have just one in the form of goalkeeper Brandon Austin.
In order to comply with UEFA’s rules, Spurs have been linked with Cirkin.
Tottenham have been monitoring him ahead of a possible swoop. The left-back signed for Sunderland in 2021, having never made a senior appearance for Tottenham, and has gone on to establish himself a key player of the Wearside club.
With Spurs in desperate need of club-trained players, former scout Bryan King thinks the north Londoners will make a move for Cirkin this summer. He feels Sunderland would accept a bid of £20million for their star defender, but is unsure whether the deal is ideal for Tottenham.
“Cirkin is still only 23 years old,” Bryan King told Tottenham News.
“Therefore, it would probably take a bid of about £20m for Sunderland to accept. I know they need to address this issue, but they’re linked with Kyle Walker-Peters as well.
“Tottenham don’t want to sign too many players in that position because they’ve already got quite a bit of coverage in the full-back areas.
“If Tottenham can bring through some U21 players to address that issue, that would be a much cheaper option than going out and buying a player like Cirkin. I wouldn’t think Sunderland would be too happy about it either.”
At 23, Cirkin’s best years are clearly ahead of him and he’d be a good option to provide back-up for Udogie. The Dublin-born talent would also fulfil the N17-based outfit’s most important requirement of club-trained players to participate in the Champions League next term.