Tottenham Hotspur are ready to rival Manchester United and Chelsea for AS Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar, according to reports in Italy.
The signing of a new No.1 feels unlikely in January, but upgrading on Guglielmo Vicario should be a priority for Tottenham in the summer.
Svilar to the Prem? What to know
Chelsea could add new GK after pursuing Maignan last summer
Man Utd interest surprising after Lammens signing
Spurs need a new goalkeeper and Svilar would be an upgrade on Vicario
You might remember Svilar as the young goalkeeper who scored an own goal for Benfica against Manchester United in the Champions League back in 2017.
Despite that error, there was huge belief that the Serbian would become a top goalkeeper, and he has done just that.
He spent five years at Benfica before joining Roma on a free transfer in 2022 and has gone on to make 112 appearances for the Serie A club.
Svilar has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Italy, and his performances for Roma have caught the attention of several Premier League clubs.
MORE ON SPURS ON F365
* Who will be next Tottenham manager if Thomas Frank is sacked? Amorim, Maresca in the hunt
* Predicting the next manager of every club – continued: who replaces Newcastle-bound Carrick at Man Utd?
* Conor Gallagher is no magic robot but he’s not Poochie either; Spurs are beggars who can’t be choosers
* Premier League manager rankings: where do Amorim and Maresca land in list of all 28(!) managers?
Prem giants ‘not scared’ of £60m goalkeeper price tag
According to Asromalive.it, Svilar is valued at €70million (£60m) after signing a new five-year contract last summer, but that fee ‘wouldn’t scare English clubs’.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all said to be ‘pursuing’ the 26-year-old, though Roma’s Serie A rivals Inter and AC Milan ‘could be the ones to decide the market moves’.
That is because Milan could lose Maignan on a free transfer this summer, while Inter are looking for a long-term successor to Yan Sommer.
Inter are reportedly interested in signing Spurs goalkeeper Vicario, which could open the door for the north London club to bid for Svilar.
Meanwhile, Chelsea remain in the race for Maignan, and if the Frenchman renews at San Siro, they could move for Svilar instead.
United’s interest is more unexpected. They only signed Lammens last summer, and the Belgian has impressed this season, adding a calm that has eluded the Red Devils’ back line since Andre Onana’s arrival.
Svilar for Vicario is a no-brainer for Spurs
Chelsea could certainly benefit from a new goalkeeper, and Svilar would be an upgrade on Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen.
But it is Spurs who should be pulling out all the stops to upgrade on Vicario.
The Italian has been inconsistent since moving to the Premier League in 2022 and has made several high-profile errors with the ball at his feet.
READ: ‘Blameless’ Spurs liability Vicario should be Frank’s first sacrifice to save his job
Not only is the 29-year-old unconvincing in possession, but he often appears weak when defending set-pieces.
He does pull off the occasional wonder save to convince those who do not watch Spurs regularly that he is performing well, but Thomas Frank’s goalkeeping department could clearly benefit from a reshuffle.
Antonin Kinsky has not done enough to convince Frank that he can replace Vicario, who was added to the Danish coach’s leadership group upon his arrival from Brentford last summer.
Vicario was even booed by some Spurs fans during a Premier League match against Fulham this season, which is clearly unacceptable.
Frank addressed the incident after the 2-1 defeat, in which Vicario gifted Harry Wilson the Cottagers’ second goal.
He said: “I heard some of our fans apparently booed the incident and booed after, which, in my opinion, is completely unacceptable.
“They can’t be true Tottenham fans if they do that. Fair enough booing after the game, no problem, but when we are playing, we support each other and we are behind each other.”