Feyenoord centre-back David Hancko is attracting interest from Tottenham and Chelsea and a race for his signature could take place in 2025, per TEAMtalk sources.
The Slovakian international thrived under now-Liverpool boss Arne Slot and has continued his excellent form this season, catching the attention of several top clubs.
Hancko, 27, is ready to test himself in an elite league and is open to leaving Feyenoord if the right opportunity presents itself.
Sources have exclusively revealed to TEAMtalk that Tottenham have shown interest in Hancko in recent weeks, while, to a lesser extent, Chelsea are also keeping tabs on his situation.
Hancko also has suitors from outside the Premier League, with Italian giants Juventus plotting a move for the defender as Thiago Motta looks to bring in cover for injured centre-back Gleison Bremer.
We understand that Juventus’ sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has had Hancko on his radar for two years, after trying to sign him at previous club Napoli.
Giuntoli wants to bring Hancko to Juventus but may have to contend with competition from Tottenham, Chelsea and also Atletico Madrid, who are keen to make defensive reinforcements of their own. A transfer is more likely at the end of the season, rather than in January.
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Tottenham, Chelsea want defensive reinforcements
We revealed last week that Tottenham are planning to back manager Ange Postecoglou in the January transfer window and a new centre-back is their main priority.
TEAMtalk understands Getafe star Omar Alderete is someone Spurs are looking at as a potential signing in January. The 27-year-old could be relatively affordable this winter, has experience at a high level and would be a solid back-up option.
In the longer term, we understand that 21-year-old Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande is a player to keep an eye out for, although it could take at least £70million to lure him away from Portugal – this is usually beyond what Levy is comfortable spending.
Hancko has now been added to Spurs’ wishlist and he could be available for around €50million (£41.4m / $52m) next summer, per our sources, making him more expensive than Alderete and cheaper than Diomande.
As for Chelsea, they are willing to sell Axel Disasi in January but only IF they are able to sign a new centre-back to replace him, which could explain their interest in Hancko.
TEAMtalk sources say that the Blues’ two top Benfica’s Tomas Araujo and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and now Hancko has emerged on their radar.
Juventus prepare Hancko contract offer
It’ll be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming months, with Juventus considered to be ahead of the Premier League duo in the race, for now.
TEAMtalk can reveal that the Italian club are willing to offer Hancko a multi-year contract worth €5million (£4.1m / $5.2m) per season and personal terms aren’t expected to be an issue.
The challenge for Juve and all of Hancko’s suitors will be reaching an agreement with Feyenoord, as the defender is under contract with the Dutch club until 2028.