Pratici keeping a keen eye on 24-year-old Serie A ace

Tottenham chief Fabio Paratici interested in Fiorentina’s star Nikola Milenkovic

According to Italian publication Corriere di Puglia e Lucania (h/t The Express), Tottenham are interested in signing Serbian player Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina to bolster their defensive options. 

The Serbian has been a key player for Fiorentina this season. He has made 16 appearances for I Viola and has provided some exceptional performances lately. His defensive qualities have attracted interest from England. 

The 24-year-old defender was a priority target for West Ham United in the summer. However, he decided to stay in Italy. Even though the Serbian defender’s contract isn’t ending soon, it is believed that there is a ‘gentleman’s agreement‘ between him and the club, which would help him to leave if a suitable offer comes. 

On the other hand, Tottenham has been targeting many players for the coming transfer window to provide new manager Antonio Conte with a stronger team to compete for titles. One area the North London team is keen to add to is the defence. It is believed that they have shortlisted Milenkovic to fill that position. 

Conte prefers to play three solid centre-backs in his 3-4-3 system to guard the low area of the pitch. Even though Eric Dier and Davinson Sánchez has been protecting the back for Spurs, the defence has looked far from formidable. 

On the other hand, the current defensive depth of the squad seems to be weaker. The injury of Cristian Romero pushed the Italian manager to use full-back, Ben Davies in a central defender’s role.

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And then comes the Covid crisis that’s having a significant impact on Tottenham and the Premier League as a whole. The Spurs team is still suffering from the aftermath and haven’t gotten all their players back. In such a situation, few fresh legs could have helped the manager. 

The arrival of Milenkovic could give a massive boost to the defensive half and impose quality options in the backline.