Tottenham join race for £25m-rated PL star, current club resigned to move – report
By Danny Wright
Tottenham have joined the race to sign Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson in the summer, according to a report.
The Daily Mail reports that Spurs want to prise the centre-back away from the Riverside, but Boro want at least £25million for the highly-rated player.
It is said that although they want to keep hold of Gibson, they are “increasingly resigned” to losing him.
Tottenham face some tough opposition though as Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, who have extensively scouted Gibson throughout the season, are also interested in bolstering their defensive options.
According to one bookie, Newcastle are also in the running to snap up the in-demand defender.
Gibson is currently on international duty with England after he was called up by Gareth Southgate to replace an injured Chris Smalling ahead of Sunday’s match against Lithuania, in which the 24-year-old could receive his first senior international cap.
Middlesbrough’s defender has been a star feature in the side’s defence in a season where they have conceded less goals than the likes of Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion, Stoke and Southampton.
He hasn’t missed a single minute of Premier League action so far and has made a total of 31 appearances in all competitions, scoring his first top-flight goal against Mauricio Pochettino’s side in September.
The former England Under-21 international has spent his entire career at the Riverside since joining the club’s academy aged 12.
Gibson had loan spells at Plymouth, York and Tranmere in his early days but has since gone on to make a total of 143 appearances across all competitions for Boro.
Football Insider verdict:
Pochettino has a great project going on in north London and his team is boosted by a lot of young, English talent compared to the rest of the top six sides in the Premier League. Gibson would be a perfect fit into the Spurs side and he has shown that he has the potential to become one of the nation’s top defenders in the future. At 24 he’s still quite young for a defender and is yet to hit his peak, but by the time he does Jan Vertonghen’s time in the first-team could be coming to an end. However, given that he’s unlikely to slot straight into the side, another Premier League team offering regular first-team football immediately would surely be a favourite for Gibson’s signature.
In other Tottenham news, the club are reportedly ready to sign a contract for a £15million deal this week.
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