Tottenham Hotspur are close to acquiring Genoa defender Radu Dragusin, despite some late pressure from Bayern Munich.
Ange Postecoglou’s side has experienced a significant improvement in performance this season following a poor campaign in which Spurs failed to qualify for any European competitions. However, this season, the north London club has a realistic possibility of finishing in the top four, therefore Postecoglou and his recruitment staff are looking for reinforcements to strengthen their squad.
Spurs’ lack of depth in defence has been exposed by injuries to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero this season, so bringing in another centre-back was always going to be a top priority. They now look to be close to finalizing a deal.
Twists and turns in the Dragusin deal
On December 10th, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano announced that Dragusin had chosen to join Tottenham, while Djed Spence went the other way on loan. Spurs and Genoa have agreed on a fee of roughly £26 million, with personal terms completed earlier this month. However, it was not a simple transfer for the north London club, with Bundesliga side Bayern Munich attempting to hijack the transaction.
On January 9th, Bayern made a formal proposal to Genoa in an attempt to swoop in and take Dragusin away from Spurs. The German team offered somewhat more money than the Premier League club, but they refused to offer a player in exchange. According to sources in Italy, La Liga heavyweights Barcelona were also interested in acquiring Dragusin, with Xavi Hernandez’s side willing to give identical terms to Tottenham.
Postecoglou stated his desire to sign a new centre-back during the winter window, and it appears that his wish has been realized…
“But once we lost Micky [van de Ven], and Eric Dier’s had some issues as well, we don’t have another centre-back.”Young Ash Phillips had just joined the club, so it’s fair to say that we can’t risk it occurring again, so that’s clearly a priority for us in January.”
It will be intriguing to see if Dragusin can break into the Spurs side right away, especially since Romero and van de Ven are both fit and available. Following a strong start to the season, it looks that Daniel Levy is looking to support the Australian manager.
Postecoglou may lose defender after Dragusin deal.
With Dragusin likely to join at Hotspur Way, some of Postecoglou’s existing defenders may be concerned about their future with the club. One centre-back in particular, Eric Dier, had already slid down the pecking order before the north London club agreed to bring in a new signing, so he appears to be on his way out.
Italian writer Fabrizio Romano recently informed GIVEMESPORT that Dier has a contract with Bayern Munich that runs until 2025. Spurs are willing to allow his departure, especially if Dragusin arrives. Florian Plettenberg has reported that Dier is now one of Bayern’s top objectives, as they are expected to miss out on Dragusin.
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