Tottenham are seemingly still not done revamping their defensive unit.
Tottenham Hotspur continue to be linked with defenders despite bringing in three new faces this summer.
Spurs snapped up Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers from Liverpool and Bournemouth, respectively. £52million has also been spent on central defender Jan Paul van Hecke, who has joined the club on a long-term contract from Brighton and Hove Albion. The arrivals of Senesi and Van Hecke have now triggered exits from N17.
Radu Dragusin has moved to Fiorentina on a season-long loan, and the obligation to buy clause will trigger automatically if the Romanian defender successfully meets specific performance-based criteria by next year. Highly-rated Luka Vuskovic is set to follow Dragusin out of Tottenham, joining Brighton in the process. The fee will be €53 million fixed, plus the potential for €5 million in add-ons, with the North Londoners also securing a significant sell-on clause.
After the World Cup, skipper Cristian Romero is also expected to depart for a new adventure. The potential exit of Romero, coupled with the sale of Vuskovic and Dragusin getting loaned out, might affect the depth in Spurs’ central defensive ranks. This has perhaps prompted the N17 chiefs to revive their interest in a young defender.
Tottenham could hijack Lazio’s pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb youngster
Reports from June indicated that Tottenham have been keeping tabs on Dinamo Zagreb defender Sergi Dominguez. In fact, the Premier League club had also initiated direct contact with Dinamo Zagreb over a possible move for the 21-year-old. However, they had to end their pursuit of the youngster after finding out that Lazio were closing in on him.
Lazio view Sergi Dominguez as Mario Gila’s successor after his compatriot joined AC Milan last week. A Barcelona academy graduate, Dominguez moved to Dinamo Zagreb last summer and helped win a domestic double in Croatia.
Reports have emerged suggesting that Lazio sporting director Angelo Fabiani flew to Croatia for face-to-face talks for the Spanish defender but returned without agreement. Dinamo are seeking €15 million, but Lazio are not able to go beyond €10m plus €2m bonuses. So, the gap in valuation remains.
Dominguez’s deal with Lazio stalling has put Spurs on red alert. Now, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera (h/t Sport Witness), Tottenham could return for the 21-year-old. They could launch a bid and hijack Lazio’s pursuit of the former Spanish Under-19 international by offering better terms.
Dinamo’s tactic to make Lazio pay up
Spurs reviving their interest in Dominguez suggests their need to keep the defensive depth intact after recent transfer developments. Roberto De Zerbi would aim to clinch a place in the Champions League and compete strongly for domestic cup competitions next season. So, despite having Senesi, Van Hecke, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso at his disposal, the Italian might be internally pushing the board to pounce on the opportunity to sign the highly-rated Dominguez.
From Dominguez’s perspective, he will find it difficult to enjoy a prominent role in De Zerbi’s side if he were to join. The former Barcelona academy talent will basically come in to make up the numbers. However, it is possible the player’s entourage or Dinamo are using Tottenham as a tactic to put pressure on Lazio to pay up.
