Tottenham Hotspur are rivalling Inter Milan to sign Belgian defender Koni De Winter, the man seen as the next Vincent Kompany.
The i Paper has been told there has been contact between De Winter’s club Genoa and Spurs, and that the Italian side would be willing to accept just £22m for the international centre-back.
Bournemouth are also understood to be targeting the 23-year-old as they look to replace Dean Huijsen, who left for Real Madrid last month.
No bids have been lodged with Genoa as yet, but talks are ongoing.
The issue Spurs have is Champions League finalists Inter are further along in their negotiations with Genoa, with De Winter happy to stay in Italy, where he has spent the majority of his career to date.
In an interview with The i Paper in February, De Winter explained why he is seen as Kompany’s heir and the reasons England appeals to so many Belgians.
“All my life I have been told I play like Vincent Kompany,” he said. “I have this ability to make runs with the ball like he did, I have the same technical side.
“It’s a really big name, so I one day hope to be able to live up to him. You look at the other big names [who went from Belgium to the Premier League] and it is only right that they ended playing up in the best competitions.
“I just want to come as far as possible. It’s not that I say I have to play Premier League or I have to play Bundesliga, I just want the best, the best for myself. The Premier League is one of the best competitions in the world, so yes, I hear some nice things.”
As north London rivals Arsenal continue to spend big this summer, Spurs supporters remain a little restless at their team’s lack of activity.
Until the £55m capture of Mohammed Kudus was confirmed last week, Mathys Tel represented the club’s only major purchase of the summer transfer window after his loan from Bayern Munich was made permanent.
With the rigours of Champions League football to contend with next season, new Spurs manager Thomas Frank and the club hierarchy are going to have to get moving in the market.
De Winter’s reasonable fee should mean his transfer progresses quickly, so Tottenham are in a race against time with Inter.
Strengthening their backline without breaking the bank will leave funds for Spurs to ramp up their pursuit of Frank’s top target – Adam Wharton.
Frank is a long-term admirer of the Crystal Palace player and sees the midfield anchor role as a priority area for strengthening.
Palace’s £80m valuation of the England international, however, remains a stumbling block.
Tottenham are also working to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest for £60m, but the move has been held up after Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis lodged a formal complaint with the Premier League over Spurs’ move for the 25-year-old.
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/7LyaD5t
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