Tottenham to offer ambitious swap deal for star European forward: report

Ange Postecoglou on the touchline against Manchester City
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotpsur are looking to add more quality to their attack next season, and are ready to sacrifice an out-of-favour first team member in order to do so.

Ange Postecoglou has operated with a relatively small squad in his first season as Tottenham boss, but now seems to have understood where it is he needs to strengthen ahead of a European campaign next term.

But while defenders are high on the priority list, supplementing the forward line of Richarlison, Heung-min Son, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski also seems part of the transfer strategy this summer.

Djed Spence of Tottenham Hotspur applauds the fans after their sides defeat during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on October 19, 2022 in Manchester, England.

Spence could be used as a makeweight in a potential swap deal (Image credit: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

According to Italian publication Calciomercato, Tottenham will look to bring Genoa forward Albert Gudmundsson to north London by offering Djed Spence, who is currently on loan at the Serie A side, in a swap deal.

Gudmundsson has been a leading player for Genoa this term, scoring 13 goals and making three assists across 31 games for the club. Impressive, considering the Icelandic 26-year-old is operating largely as an attacking midfielder in a team currently 12th in the Italian top tier.

Valued at £19m by Transfermarkt, Gudmundsson has been loosely linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for most of this season. With his contract expiring in 2026, though, Genoa could look to cash in on him this summer, with his stock at its highest.

Tottenham Hotspur target Albert Gudmundsson of Genoa, who is a reported transfer target for Tottenham, in action during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Hellas Verona in November 2023.

Gudmundsson is on the radar of Spurs (Image credit: Getty Images)

Spurs, though, are reportedly aiming to secure Gudmundsson through an ambitious swap deal with Djed Spence, who signed for £20m in the summer of 2022 from Middlesbrough. The 23-year-old has made just six appearances in all competitions for Tottenham, however, with loan spells at Rennes last term, Leeds earlier in the season, and now Genoa all coming in his career since that big-money move. 

Spence hasn't necessarily been an integral player for Genoa since arriving at the club in January, though, with the wing-back having made 11 appearances, six of which came in the starting XI. 

In FourFourTwo's view, therefore, it seems unlikely that Genoa will commit to a simple swap deal. Instead, Tottenham would likely have to offer Spence-plus-cash to land Gudmundsson, considering how important his goals have been to the side this season. Plus, Spence isn't like-for-like with the Icelandic international, meaning Genoa would have to invest money in attack regardless of any swap deal. 

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One 'ridiculous' deal is close, while 'the next Mohamed Salah' has been tipped, tooAnthony Martial has been linked, as has one versatile star.

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future. 

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