Tottenham boost as transfer target hails Antonio Conte, calling him a ‘winner’
Tottenham have been given a boost in their pursuit of a Serie A star after his latest comments on Antonio Conte.
The Italian is expected to make some big changes once the transfer window opens on January 1. Players such as Dele Alli, Steven Bergwijn and Davinson Sanchez could leave, making room for some new signings.
Tottenham are back in for Chelsea target Jules Kounde, who will cost around €80m (£68m) from Sevilla. The Frenchman is a top-class centre-back who would add plenty of steel to Conte’s defence.
The north London outfit are also eyeing Nahitan Nandez of Cagliari. They could snap him up this winter as reports state he has featured in his final game for the Italian club.
Another target of Conte and Tottenham’s is Inter defender Stefan de Vrij. The Dutchman was an important part of their title win under Conte last season. That means it is no surprise the manager is seeking a reunion in England.
de Vrij has now bolstered the transfer rumours by heaping praise on Conte, as well as his successor at Inter.
The 29-year-old said (via Football Italia): “Simone Inzaghi and Conte are two important coaches because they’ve won.
“I had already worked with Inzaghi at Lazio, Conte has had a great career because he’s always won.
“We won the title under Conte and you can see it now. Inzaghi has been working on a solid base and is doing an important season now.”
de Vrij could be leaving Inter next year as his contract expires in 2023. That gives the Nerazzurri just a few transfer windows to get his full valuation, before potentially losing him on a free.
A fee of £40m is on the cards, which could be a clever piece of business for Tottenham.
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Mills gives Tottenham advice over Lloris
Meanwhile, pundit Danny Mills has told Spurs what they should do over goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The veteran shot-stopper is entering the final few months of his contract and there is talk of Spurs landing a replacement.
Mills thinks Lloris should be kept around, although the club also need to keep an eye out for his successor.
During an interview with Football Insider, the former defender said: “There’s no reason why they can’t do both. They can look at it and conclude that they need some competition through the door.
“But keeping Lloris around would mean they have a great goalkeeper, who knows the ins and outs of the club. He can transition into that number two role.
“They don’t have an incredible number two ready to step in, so there’s no reason why they can’t keep Lloris. Goalkeepers can play until a much later age.”
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