Former Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici is rumoured to be playing a part in the club’s hunt for a new central midfielder in January following links to a top Juventus star.
It’s shaping up to be a busy January in the white half of north London as Spurs look to bolster Ange Postecoglou’s threadbare squad, in order to boost their lowly Premier League position and chances of ending that 17-year trophy wait.
Tottenham are said to be in talks over a double raid on PSG for striker Randal Kolo Muani and centre-back Milan Skriniar to fill two more needs, although Postecoglou would still like another midfielder on board – if the right opportunity presents itself.
And that could well be the case when it comes to Juventus star Douglas Luiz, who is currently being linked with a host of clubs in the winter window.
A report from TuttoJuve states that Juve could be prepared to sell Luiz this month and that a number of Premier League clubs are keen on bringing the 26-year-old former Aston Villa man back to England.
The report adds that Tottenham are in the mix of clubs keen on the Brazilian defensive midfielder, along with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.
However, as of now, there are no concrete talks or negotiations from any clubs for Luiz, although his agent Kia Joorabchian was in Manchester some weeks ago and is said to have held talks with Juve sporting director Cristiano Guintoli about the player’s future.
But in terms of Tottenham’s interest in Luiz, it will come as no surprise if Paratici is involved in trying to broker a deal given his connections with both clubs and his involvement in several transactions the north London club have done with Serie A clubs over the last few transfer windows.
Luiz provides midfield versatility
Luiz has the ability to fill a number of different midfield roles for Tottenham after doing so while at Villa Park.
Initially utilised as an out-and-out holding midfielder, the Brazil international was pushed further forward following Unai Emery’s arrival and scored 10 league goals in his final season for the club before heading to Turin.
Tottenham’s current midfield options consist of an injury-prone Rodrigo Bentancur, a version of Yves Bissouma that is not the same player as he was at Brighton and young talents like Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, while Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison both operate in No.10 roles.
Luiz would certainly been an upgrade on what Bissouma has produced in the defensive midfield role, although the majority of appearances for Juve this season have come as a No.8.
However, there must be some concern that Luiz has missed a number of games this season with muscle issues, something Tottenham have already had their fair share of with the likes of Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie.
Latest Tottenham news: Spurs target South American midfielder / Shock Rashford links
Tottenham have reportedly lodged an offer for a South American midfielder who is being labelled an upgrade on current Spurs star Yves Bissouma.
A report from Italian outlet AreaNapoli, states that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has lodged an official offer for Palmeiras midfielder, Richard Rios, with the Colombian international emerging as a ‘concrete target’ in the January window.
At this stage, there is no mention of the nature of the bid or the money involved, although Rios reportedly has a €100million (£83m / $103m) release clause in his existing contract at the Brazilian club – although any fee will not reach those sorts of heights.
Meanwhile, the Marcus Rashford saga has taken a new twist as Tottenham Hotspur are now considering signing the wantaway Manchester United star, it has been claimed.