Tottenham are planning to raid the Ligue 1 market to reinforce the attacking ranks.
Tottenham Hotspur have had a busy summer window with six signings arriving thus far. Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes have all joined to significantly improve Roberto De Zerbi’s squad.
Now the Spurs bosses are keen to bolster their forward line, with several names being linked. Eli Junior Kroupi has emerged as a target, although Bournemouth’s high valuation of the forward could prove an obstacle. There is strong interest in Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, who had a stellar World Cup campaign with the Netherlands. However, Liverpool are not opening the door for Gakpo’s exit.
Tottenham have been keeping tabs on AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun as well. He went to the World Cup off the back of 19 goals and five assists in 43 appearances for AS Monaco. The 25-year-old became a centre of controversy at the World Cup earlier this month for having his red card vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 rescinded by FIFA. As a result, he was able to start the USA’s last-16 defeat by Belgium, and the striker eventually ended the World Cup with three goals in four appearances.
Tottenham could face Fenerbahce competition for Folarin Balogun
Folarin Balogun’s impressive performances at the home World Cup has caught the attention of several clubs. And now there is now entrant in the race to sign the player. According to Turkish daily Yeni Asir (h/t Fotomac), Fenerbahce have entered the race for the AS Monaco star and are ‘investigating’ the potential cost of a deal.
Balogun still has two years left on his contract at the Principality, so the Ligue 1 side are demanding £43million to part ways with their star striker. The USMNT star is understood to be keen on a return to the Premier League, having emerged from the youth ranks at Arsenal. This means Fenerbahce has an uphill task to convince him to move to Turkey.
From Tottenham’s perspective, Balogun’s signing would make a lot of sense. He is a mobile striker who likes to constantly be on the move, make blind runs behind the last man and stretch opposition defences. The USA international likes making those perfectly timed runs into the box and finishing off chances at will. Perhaps, the Lilywhites have identified him as a player capable of adding another dimension to their attacking unit in north London.
That said, it will be intriguing to see whether Spurs make a concrete move to sign Balogun.