Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ‘pushing hard’ to sign Anderlecht midfielder Nathan De Cat, as per Caught Offside.
After rising through the Belgian giants’ youth system, the 17-year-old made his first team debut earlier this year before establishing himself as a key starter this campaign.
In 19 appearances across all competitions, he has made two goal contributions thus far and has been guiding his side to mount a title charge in the Pro League this season.
Now, Caught Offside claim that De Cat is regarded as one of the best young talents of Belgium and has been compared to Rodri for his deep-lying playmaking style.
After being impressed by the youngster’s recent eye-catching performances, Tottenham are actively pursuing him, and their sporting director, Johan Lange, is ‘pushing hard’ to lure him to North London.
De Cat has a contract until 2027 with Anderlecht, and they are prepared to let him leave next year for a fee of around £31m to avoid losing him for free.
However, purchasing the U19 Belgian international won’t be straightforward for the North London club as Aston Villa, Bayern Munich, and Brighton and Hove Albion are also plotting a swoop.
De Cat to Tottenham
The report say that Aston Villa see De Cat as a midfield partner for Boubacar Kamara and are preparing a formal proposal worth around £22m in guaranteed fee plus bonus. They are even open to including a 15% sell-on clause.
De Cat is 6ft 4in tall and likes to play in a double midfield pivot role. Moreover, he can provide cover in the No.6 position if needed. He is strong, efficient in defensive contributions, comfortable playing out from the back, and has an eye for long-range passing.
Tottenham like to buy talented young players and provide them with the platform to develop at the highest level. They have recently bought Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, and Archie Gray.
Now, Spurs are seemingly planning to include De Cat in their talented young squad. Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually manage to secure the Belgian’s service by defeating other clubs in this race.