Both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have positioned themselves to land the signing of a centre-back who has been considered among Europe’s best in recent years.
Ange Postecoglou has serious issues in his Tottenham back line right now, underlined by the fact that Archie Gray has been playing as a central defender for weeks.
On Aston Villa’s part, Unai Emery does have options at centre-back, but given the club’s ambition, they are always looking to improve.
And with that in mind, both clubs are now firmly in the race to sign Slovakian international Milan Skriniar from Paris Saint-Germain.
Tottenham’s interest in Skriniar isn’t necessarily new, but both Premier League clubs have now taken a step forward to sign a defender who is ready to leave PSG.
Milan Skriniar ready to leave PSG for Premier League move
According to L’Equipe, Skriniar’s future could be decided by the end of the week, with the defender asked to decide on his new club in the ‘coming hours’.
Galatasaray are among the front-runners to sign Skriniar, but his sizable wages could complicate a deal.
Now, Tottenham and Villa have also ‘positioned themselves’ according to the report, who would be very keen on a move to the Premier League.
Napoli could also be an option for Skriniar, who has played in the Serie A previously, but the defender wants solid assurances over his game time, which could scupper that option.
Skriniar made 246 appearances for Inter Milan after joining the club for £25m in 2017, before then moving to PSG on a free transfer four years later.
Tottenham informed about Milan Skriniar during Randal Kolo Muani talks
In addition to those reports, TBR Football understands that Spurs in particular were informed about Skriniar during Tottenham’s talks to sign Randal Kolo Muani.
PSG are pushing the defender to make a quick decision, a defender Luis Enrique has lost confidence in.
At the French champions, Skrinar is on nearly £200k-a-week, but PSG have now agreed to cover more than half of those wages, which has alerted English sides, who have been offered the chance to sign him.
It’s a busy month for Spurs, with the club recognising the need to strengthen the options available to Postecoglou.