Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly among the ‘frontrunners’ in the race to sign Stefan de Vrij and they could snatch him from Inter Milan in January.
Spurs have consistently been linked with De Vrij in recent months.
This is a transfer that makes sense as the defender shone under Antonio Conte during their time together at Inter Milan.
Both were key as the Italian side won Serie A at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
De Vrij has proven himself to be a consistent performer for Inter Milan and the Netherlands but his future is in doubt with him out of contract in 2023.
Football Insider are reporting that Tottenham and Atletico Madrid are the favourites to sign De Vrij next year.
It is claimed that the 3o-year-old is ‘increasingly likely’ to leave Inter Milan at some point in 2023.
Spurs are keen to strengthen at centre-back and De Vrij ‘fits the bill’ given that he is trusted by Conte.
The player has reportedly been told by Inter Milan that he will be offered a new deal but they are yet to make an attempt to retain him beyond this season.
Football Insider note that De Vrij was previously rated at £40m but he would be available at a ‘knockdown price’ in January.
Conte is a ‘huge admirer’ of the Dutchman and he could push Tottenham’s hierarchy to target him in January instead of waiting for a free transfer next summer.
The Premier League club signed Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona in the summer but they have looked frail at the back at times.
Tottenham have been linked with another Barcelona player of late with them keeping an eye on Franck Kessie.
The centre-midfielder joined the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract at AC Milan expired. Before then, Tottenham were in the running to recruit him.
He has barely featured for Barcelona this season as he has only started twice in La Liga.
Kessie penned a four-year deal when he joined Barcelona but his lack of game time has fuelled talk that he could leave in the coming months.
Tottenham, Fulham and Aston Villa have all ‘enquired’ about Kessie and it is suggested that Barcelona have ‘no intention’ of letting him go.
Now journalist Dean Jones has suggested that it would be a “waste of time” for Tottenham to move for Kessie.
“I think a cheeky bid for Kessie in January would probably be a waste of time to be honest,” Jones told GiveMeSport.
“He’s basically chasing a dream here. And I think he’ll give it the rest of the season before he even contemplates going anywhere else.”
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