Tottenham to battle Liverpool and Everton for Ugurcan Cakir
Tottenham Hotspur are set to battle Liverpool and Everton for the signing of Turkish goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, according to Turkish Football (h/t Express).
The 23-year-old joined Turkish side Trabzonspor from 1461 Trabzon in 2014. He has since gone on to establish himself as a regular for the Turkish giants. In his two seasons at the club, Cakir has made a total of 63 appearances while keeping 13 clean sheets.
According to the report, Spurs are looking for a reliable back up to captain Hugo Lloris. The 33-year-old was injured for a significant part of the first half of the season with reserve keeper Paulo Gazzaniga stepping up.
Tottenham won just five of the 15 matches with Gazzaniga in goal and the club are keen on replacing him with an upgrade.
Cakir, however, will not come cheap with a price of at least €25 million being quoted. Jose Mourinho is also said to be keen on the player.
Speaking on the issue, club president Ahmet Agaoglu christened Cakir as one of Europe’s three best keepers and one of Turkey’s biggest prospects. He went on to name the player’s price while insisting that he would rather Cakir stayed put.
“We want €20-25m. it could be as high as €30 m for him, but of course we also hope he stays.”
Apart from the interest from England, the 23-year-old has also drawn interest from Spanish side Sevilla.
One for the future?
At 33,Lloris isn’t getting any younger. The Frenchman has been a loyal servant of the club and has produced numerous memorable moments for the fans.
However, he won’t last forever and Spurs will do well to replace him in the coming seasons. At 23, Cakir has the right age and profile to become a long term solution in goal.
It is hard to agree with Agaoglu that Cakir is currently one of the three best goalkeepers in Europe, there is promise however and he could indeed turn out to be so in the future.
More Tottenham Hotspur News
- Les Ferdinand delivers update on Tottenham target Eberechi Eze
- Tottenham Injury Update: Return dates for Son, Kane and Sissoko
- Dele Alli was unhappy with Giovani Lo Celso wasting their last opportunity
Cakir has won one international cap for Turkey at the senior level. He started the game against Greece in 2019. Turkey won the game 2-1 and the player missed out on a clean sheet on debut as Greece scored in stoppage time.
