Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to ‘break the bank’ to bring in a highly-rated Atletico Madrid midfielder in a deal that could be worth up to €75million (£62m / $78m) in the summer transfer window.
The north London club are expected to be active in the market come the end of the season as they sit on the right side of PSR and have money in the bank to make some significant additions to Ange Postecoglou’s squad – assuming the Australian keeps his job after a recent upturn in results.
It’s been a tough season for Tottenham, as their squad depth has been woefully exposed due to a crippling injury crisis, with the Europa League now their only chance of salvaging something.
Three successive Premier League wins, to go along with several stars returning from the sidelines, has at least lifted morale as the focus starts to switch towards who could come in this summer.
All areas of the team are expected to be looked at but Spurs’ midfield has underperformed for much of the season, with Postecoglou often struggling to find the right balance in his engine room.
Yves Bissouma has particularly struggled to replicate anything like the form he showed at Brighton and it would be no surprise to see the Mali international offloaded this summer.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s performance levels have at least lifted of late, while Pape Sarr and Lucas Bergvall are quality young talents who should be around at the club for years to come. Archie Gray might also finally get the chance to show what he can do in his favoured position, once the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are fit again.
But despite having those numbers, Tottenham still want at least one new midfielder through the door this summer and a report from Spain suggests they are willing to spend big on Atletico star Pablo Barrios.
Fichajes states that Spurs have expressed an interest in the 21-year-old Spain international and that they are ready to ‘break the bank’ to get the classy No.8 on board.
Barrios stock rising with Atletico
Barrios has emerged as one of Atletico’s most consistent performers over the last 12 months and earned his first senior cap for his country back in November of last year.
The midfielder broke into Diego Simeone’s senior squad last season, racking up an impressive 35 appearances across all competitions, and has taken his game to another level this time around.
He has already featured 25 times this term, including 19 in LaLiga, and has registered two assists in that time.
The report adds that if Tottenham approach the LaLiga giants with a €75m (£62m / $78m) offer for the Spaniard then Atletico would find it very hard not to consider it this summer.
Indeed, that sort of figure would provide the Rojiblancos financial relief and a chance to fortify other positions in Simeone’s squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
The only concern for Tottenham would be the lack of experience Barrios has at senior club level, having made a total of 86 appearances for Atletico so far. However, his quality and potential could present them with a risk worth taking.
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