Tottenham race two giants to sign Riccardo Calafiori – sources
Tottenham are locked in a battle with Euro giants Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen for the signature of Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed that Spurs want to bring the 21-year-old to North London this summer.
It is an area that Ange Postecoglou wants to strengthen, despite bringing in Radu Dragusin from Genoa in January.
He is, however, viewed as a player for the future, with Dragusin right now providing cover for first-choice duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
Tottenham want to sign Serie A ace this summer
With Spurs back in Europe, Postecoglou needs to add more squad depth, with Calafiori ticking a lot of boxes for the North London club.
The centre-back only joined Bologna from Basel last summer, but has been a key figure in the club’s pursuit of a top-four Serie A finish.
O’Rourke told Football Insider that Spurs are well-versed in the Italian market, with Fabio Paratici still behind the scenes at the club and believed to be leading the pursuit.
He is well connected in the country’s transfer market, with the English club having had success there in recent times through the signatures of the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Romero and Destiny Udogie.
O’Rourke believes that Calafiori, who can also play at left-back, has huge potential and will only get better.
The major stumbling block, however, is the expected competition for his signature, with Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen keen, with the latter offering a big incentive of Champions League football next season.
In other news, Tottenham in pole position to win race for Premier League star after Newcastle twist.
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