Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has suffered a setback in his pursuit of a highly-rated Serie A midfielder.
Roberto De Zerbi has endured a losing start to life as Tottenham Hotspur head coach. His Spurs side were beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
The Italian’s primary focus is on ensuring the North Londoners stay in the Premier League. De Zerbi has six games to save Tottenham from going down. They certainly face a massive job to achieve that goal, given that they are two points adrift of West Ham in 17th. The Hammers beating Wolves 4-0 at home last week has piled more pressure on De Zerbi and Tottenham.
However, having signed a lucrative five-year deal, the 46-year-old is set to play an important role in rebuilding the Tottenham squad in the summer. Several targets have already been identified by the recruitment team ahead of the transfer window.
Tottenham-linked Juventus midfielder set to sign contract extension
Recent reports suggested that Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli’s name has been added to Tottenham’s summer wishlist at the request of De Zerbi. During discussions with the board, De Zerbi specifically named Manuel Locatelli, whom he had worked with at Sassuolo from 2019 to 2021. His performances under De Zerbi earned him a move to Juventus in 2023.
The central midfield is an area where Tottenham needs the most refurbishment work this summer. Yves Bissouma is set to be released upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season, while Spurs bosses are unlikely to turn Joao Palhinha’s loan from Bayern Munich into a permanent deal. Also, Conor Gallagher has been extremely disappointing since arriving from Atletico Madrid during the winter transfer window.
With De Zerbi’s system relying on the midfielders to receive the ball in tight spaces, read the game well and play through the press, Locatelli’s profile seems a perfect match. However, there has now been a development on the Italian international’s future at Juventus.
According to a report from Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Juventus are set to agree a two-year contract extension with Locatelli until 2030, with an option to extend it by a further 12 months. CEO Damien Comolli has himself announced that the deal will be signed shortly.
“We could have some news in the next few days regarding a new contract, but not about Vlahovic,” Comolli said.
“I’ve always said we’d talk about Dusan at the end of the season, and that’s what we’ll be talking about. Discussions have taken place, but don’t expect anything before the end of the season.”
Big blow for Tottenham!
For De Zerbi, Locatelli could have been the marquee addition to the Lilywhites’ midfield, bringing calmness, control, technical ability and experience. The 28-year-old would have brought a winning pedigree to the North London squad as well, but he is now close to signing an extension with the Turin giants.
The Italian is an integral part of the Juventus squad, where he is enjoying regular Champions League football while competing for major honours. Coach Luciano Spalletti rates Locatelli very highly and has been pushing for his new contract. With the deep-lying playmaker keen to extend his stay with the Old Lady, De Zerbi’s wish to reunite with Locatelli at Tottenham has suffered a big blow.