Fenerbahce defender Yusuf Akcicek is being monitored by Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur remain in the hunt for attacking reinforcements before next week’s transfer deadline.
To sign a replacement for the injured James Maddison, Spurs have suffered several setbacks. They have not managed to land either of Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze or Nico Paz, leaving boss Thomas Frank frustrated, despite Spurs enjoying a wonderful start to the new campaign. Now, the club chiefs have shifted their attention toward Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers.
In addition to a No.10, the Lilywhites are also on the lookout for a centre-back. This has been evidenced by their recent pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapie. However, lightening seems to have struck twice this summer, as Hincapie has made the decision to snub Tottenham and move to bitter North London rivals Arsenal in a possible deal.
Tottenham are admirers of Fenerbahce defender
As things stand, Thomas Frank already has a very strong centre-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. The duo have started the campaign well, helping Spurs keep clean sheets in both games thus far. However, both Romero and Van de Ven are injury prone and spent significant chunks of last season on the treatment table.
This is perhaps why Frank is on the hunt for extra cover in central defence, despite having Kevin Danso and Ben Davies as immediate back-up options. Now, according to Turkish newspaper Sabah (h/t Sport Witness), Tottenham are interested in Fenerbahce defender Yusuf Akcicek. Manchester United are also monitoring the youngster, while Belgian outfit Club Brugge remain keen too.
Yusuf Akcicek has done well in his short Fenerbahce career, after enjoying his breakout campaign just last year. He delivered some impressive displays at the back, as Fenerbahce finished runners-up in the Turkish Super Lig. The two-cap Turkish international made 21 appearances across all competitions, netting two goals.
As well as the Premier League duo, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Inter Milan are also showing interest in the teenager. The aforementioned report (h/t Sport Witness) adds Tottenham were one of the clubs to have sent their scouts to watch Akcicek in action last season. This means the Lilywhites have been tracking the defender’s progress for some time now.
Spurs must make an offer for Akcicek
Fenerbahce are ready to sell the talented Akcicek this summer if they receive an offer in the region €20m. Tottenham, as per the report, are unlikely to meet the Turkish club’s valuation for the youngster, at least in this transfer window.
If we are to go by that report, it would suggest that the Hotspur Way chiefs are primarily focusing on attacking reinforcements in the final days of the transfer window. With plenty of cash there to be spent, it would not be a bad idea to strengthen the defensive unit further. And as Luka Vuskovic is heading to HSV Hamburger on loan and summer signing Kota Takai out injured, a move for Akcicek would make sense.
19 years old and with room to grow, signing Akcicek for around €20m would represent a shrewd piece of business so late in the window- one that’d surprise the fans.
