Reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has confirmed the list of transfer targets that Tottenham Hotspur chief Fabio Paratici will pursue to reinforce Antonio Conte's defence this summer.
The Lowdown: Looking for a centre-back
Back in April, The Athletic reported that Spurs will prioritise a left-sided centre-back this summer, despite the fabulous job that Wales international and out-and-out left-back Ben Davies has done since assuming the role.
Signing a central defender has been a priority for Tottenham even before Antonio Conte arrived at N17.
Paratici made a move for Villarreal’s Pau Torres last summer, but the player personally turned down the switch, favouring to remain in his native country and play Champions League football, a decision which proved fruitful as the La Liga outfit made a shock run to the semi-finals of Europe's elite club competition.
The Latest: Gold names four targets
After all the rumours about potential targets, Gold has now named Paratici’s updated list of four serious names as well as one outsider option, in a QnA for football.london:
“On the left you've of course got Spurs' top two targets for the role in Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol, who are tough to prise away right now. The Bastoni door won't be entirely closed until Inter can bring in the money they need this summer but Spurs will have to decide whether they can hang around and wait.
“The next name is Villarreal's Pau Torres as you say. The Spaniard turned down a move to Tottenham last summer, but the north London club are a different proposition this year with Conte at the helm and Champions League football to offer. Villarreal are also keen to sign Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso which could help any discussions over the fee. Spurs' main opposition is set to be Manchester United, who have also been tracking the 25-year-old for some time.
“Barcelona's Clement Lenglet, who turned down a loan move to Spurs last summer, is another option. I understand Monaco have shown an interest in Davinson Sanchez and I do wonder whether Spurs might look at Benoit Badiashile, their France U21 international left-sided centre-back if any discussions take place.”
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments-2/" title="Tottenham latest developments!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]
The Verdict: Big names involved
Tottenham recently announced that they had agreed a £150 million capital increase from majority shareholder ENIC, meaning Daniel Levy’s group were putting up funds for Conte and Paratici as they entered the summer transfer window.
Football finance experts claimed that this was a ‘statement of intent’ by the club, who are now looking to consolidate their place in the Champions League and convince Conte that his ambitions will be met in North London.
With a number of names on the list expected to command huge fees - Bastoni, Gvardiol, Torres and Lenglet are worth a combined £141.3m - it certainly seems like Levy has finally found a manager he's willing to hand the keys of the kingdom over to.
In other news: Alasdair Gold drops Christian Eriksen latest...