Tottenham could convince Luka Vuskovic to stay at the club with a significant salary increase amid interest in the 19-year-old defender from Barcelona.
The teenager has had a fantastic loan spell in the Bundesliga with Hamburg this campaign, making 26 appearances in the German top-flight and scoring five goals. Additionally, he has only received five yellow cards all season.
The Croatian joined Spurs from Hajduk Split last summer but joined Hamburg on loan for the season before the last summer transfer window closed. He is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Lilywhites.
Vuskovic in line for ‘massive’ pay rise
According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Tottenham are “desperate” to keep hold of Vuskovic, who “is in line for a massive salary increase”.
The 19-year-old is attracting the interest of “top clubs” with Plettenberg adding that the defender’s agent Pini Zahavi is holding talks with Barcelona about the teenager.
It appears as though Hamburg will struggle to bring the Croatian back next season on either a permanent or loan deal, even after safety was confirmed in their first Bundesliga campaign for seven years.
Tottenham will have to stay up to keep Vuskovic
With the young defender subject to major speculation, it appears as though Tottenham will have to ensure they maintain their Premier League status if they are to have any hope of keeping hold of Vuskovic.
Roberto De Zerbi has overseen an upturn in results lately with back-to-back wins against Aston Villa and Wolves, which have seen the Lilywhites leapfrog West Ham United out of the relegation zone. Spurs are currently just one point above the Hammers with three games to go, while Nottingham Forest are five points ahead in 16th.
Conceding goals has been a major issue for the north London outfit this campaign, with just West Ham (61), Burnley (71) and Wolves (63) conceding more goals in the Premier League than their 54.
Therefore, regardless of the outcome of this season, defensive reinforcement will be a necessity and De Zerbi could inherit the ideal solution without having to pay a penny when Vuskovic returns from his loan spell.
Spurs have built a reputation for using youth in recent years with Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Souza, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert amongst the young talents who have been frequent contributors over the past two seasons.