Spurs targeting highly rated defender as agent talks to rivals
Tottenham Hotspur is undoubtedly in need of an additional central defender, and Radu Dragusin could be the answer. Manager Ange Postecoglou is currently without highly rated Micky van de Ven due to an injured hamstring. The Dutch defender pulled up with the injury in the middle of a previous matchup with Chelsea in early November. He has not been able to feature ever since.
Due to a key setback to Van de Ven, Postecoglou has had to get creative when picking his back line. Ben Davies and Emerson Royal have been forced to fill in for the injured star. While both players are defenders, they are certainly better utilized as fullbacks. Fellow center-back Cristian Romero has also missed three matches due to a dangerous tackle in the aforementioned Chelsea fixture. It was the contentious Argentine’s seventh sending-off in his career.
Genoa defender Dragusin has links with previous Tottenham sporting director
With Van de Ven out, Romero is currently the club’s only real star central defender in the team. As a result, it seems as if Spurs will prioritize grabbing a center back in the upcoming January transfer window. The Telegraph is reporting that the north London club will target Genoa’s Radu Dragusin.
The 21-year-old Romania international is quickly rising as one of the more sought-after young defenders in Europe. Despite only just moving from Juventus to Genoa this past summer for around $6 million, Dragusin will cost another club closer to $33 million.
Spurs have a decent understanding of the Romanian defender. Former Juve sporting director Fabio Paratici helped bring Dragusin to the Old Lady back in 2018. Paratici then departed Juve for Spurs in the summer of 2021. However, the Italian was forced to resign from his role at the Premier League side earlier this year after charges of financial malpractice arose back in his home nation.
Tottenham has an interest in Dragusin. However, Spurs will have plenty of competition. Barcelona and Manchester United have also tracked the defender in recent weeks. Nevertheless, these two massive clubs will be unable to enter a bidding war come January due to financial concerns. In turn, this could leave the door wide open for Spurs.
Dragusin’s agent claims to be speaking to several English clubs
Nevertheless, Genoa’s sporting director Marco Ottolini claimed Dragusin is signing a new one-year contract extension with the Italian club. This potential agreement would keep Dragusin in Italy until 2028. Ottolini also stressed that while he has had conversations with other teams, he has not yet received a concrete offer for the youngster.
“Many phone calls but no offers,” Ottolini told a local newspaper. “The company’s will is not to sell anyone, [but] if an offer arrives it will have to be evaluated by the owners and the player’s opinion will also count. But the will, I repeat, is not to give in to anyone.”
The player’s agent, however, is also making claims of his own. Florin Manea recently announced that he has spoken to a series of Premier League clubs regarding his client.
“I have been in London for some time and have almost weekly meetings with important teams. We are getting closer,” proclaimed Manea. “I spoke with Newcastle, with Arsenal, with Tottenham. I also have messages with them, conversations. There are teams that ask about Dragusin.”
Manea’s comments suggest that Dragusin could very well be on the move regardless of the contract extension. Potentially signing a new contract will likely help Genoa receive a higher transfer fee though. The January transfer period is now only a dozen days away.
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