Tottenham Hotspur are ready to disrupt Paris Saint-Germain’s pursuit of a Premier League defender with an audacious offer.
It follows Spurs’ capture of Mohammed Kudus from fellow London-based side West Ham United, in a deal worth £55m.
He’s one of five permanent signings confirmed for the north London outfit so far this summer, as the club prepares for Thomas Frank’s first season in charge.
Tottenham to rival PSG for Bournemouth star
It’s no secret that injuries affected the Lilywhites last year, particularly in defence, with substantial absences for Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero requiring teenager Archie Gray, predominantly a midfielder by trade, to fill in.
Chairman Daniel Levy appears determined for Frank not to encounter the same problems as Ange Postecoglou and so is looking to the market to bolster the squad’s defensive options.
In that search, they have landed on Bournemouth centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi, according to Gianluca Di Marzio, who arrived in the Premier League from Dynamo Kyiv two years ago.
The report states that Champions League winners PSG are interested and have tabled offers of around €60m, which have been rejected by the Cherries.
Spurs are willing to go one better in their pursuit of the Ukraine international by preparing to offer the €70m that Bournemouth are thought to be requesting to sanction an exit.
Despite Tottenham appearing to be the top bidders as things stand, the Italian outlet goes on to reveal that PSG is Zabarnyi’s preferred option as things stand.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, while Zabarnyi is no doubt a top player, it feels like a lot of money to spend in a position where Spurs are already well-stocked.
Alongside the main pairing of Van de Ven and Romero, Spurs already the likes of Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies on the books, not to mention young trio Luka Vuskovic, Ashley Phillips and Kota Takai waiting for minutes in the wing.
The Lilywhites no doubt feel burnt by the situation they were left in last season defensively, but they no longer seem to have a problem in that department that requires a €70m solution.
Zabarnyi is valued at €42m, according to Transfermarkt.
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