Tottenham are reportedly showing interest in Napoli midfielder Amadou Diawara. Reports from the Italian outlet Calcionews24 claim that the club has made a £34 million offer for the player. Diawara has been one of the bright young prospects in the Napoli’s first-team this season and Even though the club are struggling for form and consistency in the league, they seem to possess one of the finest defensive midfielders in Italy. Spurs, who are ready to break their club record fee shows a lot of intent and the quality of the player.
Just like many other Napoli signings have been sold for huge transfer fees in the last few years, Diawara came in as a relative unknown only in the summer from Bologna. He is believed to have cost the club around €11 million, which makes the €40 million reportedly offered by Tottenham an incredible profit. Napoli, though, are extremely well off in terms of finances at the moment. The sale of Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus for more than £70 million coupled with Edinson Cavani’s sale for a similar amount a few years ago means that they can afford to hold on to Diawara.
Finances in the Italian Serie A are nowhere near enough the English Premier League. Hence, these clubs depends a lot on the Champions League revenue. Napoli are playing in the Champions League this season, but they could only manage a Europa League place last season. Clubs like Tottenham are looking to take advantage of this inconsistency. However, the transfer rumours linking Diawara with a move to White Hart Lane are certainly surprising considering that Mauricio Pochettino already has a wealth of defensive midfielders in his lineup.
Apart from the presence of Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier, the addition of players like Victor Wanyama has strengthened the midfield even further. The club have also reportedly been considering Morgan Schneiderlin as a potential value for money purchase in the January transfer window. Schneiderlin who cost Manchester United £25 million just years ago is set to cost less than half of it. Spurs were interested in the French international back in the summer, and they may be prepared to revisit once again.
Schneiderlin, though, represents a signing for the immediate term while Diawara could be a long-term option. Still just 19 years old, Diawara has managed to make an instant impression in the Napoli first-team straightaway. An impressive passing accuracy of 91.8% in the four league appearances have shown a highly matured player for his age, while his real quality will become apparent once he starts playing regularly.
After spending much of the early season on the bench, Diawara has been a much more prominent presence of late.
