Sport Witness

Radu Drăgușin’s playing time has been limited at Tottenham Hotspur since joining them from Genoa in the winter market.

To put it in context, the centre-back has clocked in 424 minutes from nine league games for the north London club.

On May 30th, Area Napoli stated the player would consider leaving Tottenham for Napoli on loan in the summer window.

Drăgușin played the 90 minutes in Romania’s 3-0 win over Ukraine in the Euros on Monday. After the tie, TV Play had a chat with his agent, Florin Manea, where he revealed the Serie A side had a scout following the clash between Romania and Ukraine.

“Drăgușin? What can I say, it doesn’t surprise me anymore because I know how he works. If he continues like this, he could become one of the best central defenders in the world,” he said.

“Today my partner told me that there were Napoli observers in the stadium to watch [Ukraine striker Artem] Dovbyk. Perhaps, they saw the game that Dragusin played [laughs]. I think that Chiellini and Bonucci are proud of Drăgușin, they were very important for his growth when he was at Juventus.”

The agent insists the defender made the right choice by joining Tottenham despite his client struggling to get regular minutes under Ange Postecoglou’s orders.

“With Drăgușin we always made the right choices. His childhood dream was to play in the Premier League, last summer Bayern offered him twice as much but he chose Tottenham. He thinks about his career, he is a very intelligent footballer,” Manea explained.

Over the last 24 hours, the Italian media have talked about Spurs’ interest in Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori.

The Romania international’s agent has suggested Tottenham are unlikely to make an approach for him as they are in the market for a different profile.

“Tottenham on Calafiori? From what I know, Spurs aren’t looking for a pure central defender, they are more looking for a flexible defender. In any case, Drăgușin is ready for anything, he is not afraid of competition,” he added.

“I’m not worried because such a strong defender cannot be stopped, his growth cannot be slowed down. However, Tottenham have always placed their trust in him and have faced very strong attackers in Serie A. The only one who seriously put him in difficulty was Lautaro but we’re talking about when Drăgușin played for Salernitana.”

On May 21st, Tutto Juve stated Tottenham Hotspur like Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori.

The centre-back has excelled in his debut season at the Serie A side, and it has caught the attention of other clubs.

This includes Tottenham and Juventus, according to DAZN, relayed by Il Bianconero.

The Turin club have been leading the race to sign the 22-year-old, but the report says Spurs’ inclusion could ‘change the cards on the table’.

It’s claimed Ange Postecoglou’s side have shown ‘strong interest’ in the defender and they have initiated contacts with both Bologna and the defender’s entourage.

DAZN say Tottenham could get ahead of Juve in the transfer race by making a ‘substantial offer’. They add the Italian’s future remains uncertain, suggesting Tottenham entering the race has exacerbated the situation.

Tutto Juve also state the north London club are ‘pressing’ to sign Calafiori in the summer window.

The Old Lady’s interest in the player is pointed out, and the report says they have a deal in place with him. There’s been a new development in the ‘last few hours’ as Spurs would have made a move to try to get ahead of Juve.

DAZN say Calafiori’s future is uncertain, while Tutto Juve state his preference would be to join Juventus.

Earlier this week, claims from the UK stated Real Sociedad rejected a £50m Tottenham Hotspur bid for Takefusa Kubo.

This is relayed by Saturday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo, who say the La Liga side haven’t received an offer from Spurs or any another club so far.

However, the 23-year-old is on Tottenham’s agenda for the summer window.

As well as Spurs, four other Premier League sides, including Manchester United and Liverpool, have asked about Kubo.

With regards to the north London club, the newspaper says they are ‘very interested’ in the winger. They add Tottenham are willing to make an offer, without providing any details of the bid they plan to propose. The Japan international has impressed for the Spanish club since joining them from Real Madrid in 2022.

Earlier this year, La Real extended his contract until 2029 and the report states it includes a €60m release clause.

If a club were to activate his clause, Real Sociedad will receive €33m and the rest will go to the Madrid club. Therefore, Real Sociedad will demand €60m for the attacker.

Mundo’s title says Tottenham ‘want Kubo and plan to make an offer’ for him, and they have to offer €60m to secure his services this summer.

Kubo managed seven goals and five assists from 41 games during the 2023/24 season.