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The Brighton star is impressing on loan at Leicester City this season.
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Tottenham Hotspur are reported to have made a £37 million bid to Brighton & Hove Albion to bring rising star Facundo Buonanotte to North London as he continues to impress on loan at Leicester City this season.
That's according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, which carries news of a €45 million Spurs bid ahead of the January transfer window opening this week. The 20-year-old has four goals and two assists in the Premier League this season in just over 1,000 minutes for the Foxes.
Buonanotte has turned heads with his versatility across the front three, playing both as a right winger and attacking midfielder for Leicester City. With Spurs' forwards misfiring, it's thought that the Brighton man is seen as an ideal acquisition and potential long-term replacement for Son Heung-min.
Buonanotte causes problems against Manchester City
The midfielder has scored against Aston Villa, AFC Bournemouth, Southampton and Brentford this season. He was handed his first league start under new manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy against Manchester City on Sunday, playing the full 90 minutes in that 2-0 defeat.
The Foxes caused problems for the out-of-sorts Champions at the King Power Stadium and Buonanotte was rated 7/10 for his efforts by LeicestershireLive. The outlet wrote: "He hit the post as he continuously arrived into threatening positions and linked well with Vardy and El Khannouss. But he wasted a good chance by going down too easily and looking for a penalty."
The player joined Brighton from Argentinian side Rosario Central for a reported £10.6 million in January 2023 and featured regularly for the Seagulls last season. His first top flight goal came against Nottingham Forest in his first league start in April 2023.
Any Spurs interest in the player would surely have to wait until the summer for a transfer to be completed with Leicester City unlikely to let one of their star men end his loan spell early as they fight for Premier League survival.
Ange Postecoglou targets January transfer activity
Speaking earlier this month, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou had hinted at action in the January window. He said: “In the context of where we're at at the moment, I think it is an important [window]. Our league position is not great but it’s super tight and we’re not that far off. We're in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and still in great position in Europe and there's the FA Cup.
“There's still everything to play for this year for us to make it a season where we can have success. But we need some help, the players need some help more importantly, and the club is working really hard to try make that happen.
“It will depend where we’re at when the window opens and we're getting close to that now, so we've got a clearer picture of where we're at. “I still think we have to be disciplined, it's not just about just bringing anybody in. There's certainly a need to reinforce if we can. Everyone knows January's not an easy time to do that. But the club's working hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to help players we've got at the moment who are giving everything in every game and dipping into every bit of energy they have to try to get us through.”
There's no doubting Buonanotte's quality in the top flight and the potential he has to make an impact for Spurs. Following his goal against AFC Bournemouth earlier this season, the winger was praised by Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
Shearer said: "Great win for Leicester. They had to work hard, there were a few nervy moments, but it was a great goal. The finish is brilliant, the power behind it, keeper has no chance. That's two goals and two assists for Buonanotte this season. He's only 19, he's got something."
Lineker added: "He's got a lot of talent, really enjoy watching him play. The first promoted club to win a game, 21 matches between them."