Tottenham are interested in signing centre-back Lloyd Kelly from Juventus in the summer transfer window.
According to TEAMtalk on Monday, in light of potential defensive departures, Spurs are looking for replacements, with Kelly high up on their list.
The Englishman’s valuation is now at £43.5million which has multiplied since his move from Newcastle last year.
The defender has Premier League experience and could return to his homeland, with the Lilywhites in competition with Liverpool and Chelsea for his signature.
Kelly, who stands tall at 6,3″, could make his way to Tottenham in the summer, but Johan Lange and Co. first need to assess if the £43.5m price tag is worth its weight.
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What can Lloyd Kelly bring to Tottenham?
There is always a lot of concern about signings that come from the Serie A, mainly due to fears over the vast difference in tempo between the Premier League.
But it’s slightly different for defenders, as regardless of the division, they naturally see less of the ball, and like the Premier League, can be unexpectedly called into action out of nowhere.
Kelly in Serie A with Juventus this season:
Kelly clearly earned his move to the Italian giants last year and was somewhat unfortunate to have not been handed more starts for Newcastle.
But the truth is, the 27-year-old was always up against it, arriving at St. James’ Park as a free transfer compared to their multi-million-pound signings in the form of Sven Botman and Dan Burn.
Kelly has openly spoken about the differences between Italian and English league football, and his love for Juve may make it hard for Spurs to bring the centre-back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham’s priority seems to be a centre-back here’s why
It seems like Tottenham have already known about the potential exit’s of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero for months.
The Lilywhites were linked with several centre-halves during the winter transfer window, and though no signings were made in the department, speculation may be due to the chiefs at Hotspur Way making a list of potential targets.
Tottenham have recently been credited with interest in Bayern Munich’s Jim Min-Jae, as well as Athletic Bilbao’s Aitor Paredes.
Both are top central defenders who would surely cost a fee in a region similar to what Kelly could cost the Lilywhites.
It looks like Lange and Co. are braced for losing van de Ven or Romero soon, possibly even both, with Kelly just one of many centre-back targets being looked at.