Tottenham report: Highly-rated young defender could join for half his value

Tottenham Hotspur could land a talented young defender this summer on one of the bargains of the transfer window. 

According to football.london, Antonio Conte is looking for a left-sided centre-back of a similar quality to Cristian Romero on the other side. With interest in the likes of Alessandro Bastoni of Inter Milan, however, RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol represents a cheaper option without a drop in quality. 

The Croatian has ascended to become a starter for the Bundesliga outfit in both back three formations – which Conte favours – and a back four. At 20 years old, he has his whole career ahead of him, too. 

A recent CIES Football Observatory report which delved into the values of so-called wonderkids stated that Gvardiol could well be worth as much as £80m. This will be music to the ears of buyers across Europe since Leipzig are only asking for £42m: almost half of that. 

With Tottenham planning big moves this summer, that saving could be important. The Lilywhites are apparently planning not just to replace Ben Davies on the left of the defence but Eric Dier, a long-standing leader at the back, in the middle of the trio. 

On top of the defensive reinforcements that Conte would like to make, it's rumoured that the Italian is also going to be looking for a more creative talent to relieve some of the burden from Harry Kane – who he has stressed he would like to play further forward. 

The rumours of new wing-backs persist too, with Tottenham having missed out on signing Adama Traore in January. Matt Doherty is injured for the rest of the season, leaving Emerson Royal as the most likely option on the right. 

More Tottenham stories

Antonio Conte has been vocal in recent weeks about the direction that Tottenham need to head in, claiming that Steven Bergwijn needs to believe in himself a little more and stating just how important it is to win the race for the top four.

Spurs have been linked with a number of youngsters, too. Hugo Ekitike is reportedly on the radar, as is Charles De Ketelaere. 

One surprising report states that the club are interested in Memphis Depay, while an Inter Milan star who has worked under Conte is also a reported target.