White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge boss’s keen on Slovenian international.
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Chelsea and Tottenham are set to battle it out to capture the signature of Palermo’s £15 million-rated midfielder Josip Ilicic, Goal.com can reveal.
The Slovenian midfielder, 22, joined the Serie A side from his native Maribor at the end of August, along with compatriot Armin Bacinovic.
Ilicic has made an impressive start to life in Italy, bagging seven goals in 18 league games and earning comparisons with Real Madrid’s Brazilian attacking midfielder Kaka.
The London giants are primed to swoop for the player in a summer move which could cost up to £20m if his club are unwilling to let him go. (Goal.com)
Whilst it would be churlish and inaccurate to suggest that Tottenham and Chelsea were on parity in terms of their ability to tempt players to their respective squads it is true that Harry Redknapp has taken his White Hart Lane side through a meteoric rise over the past 18 months that means that they can realistically battle with the best for the up and coming talents they may not have previously had a hope in hell of capturing.
Josip Ilicic is a quality prospect who in this first season in Serie A has been a breath of fresh air and his quick adjustment from the relative mediocrity of the Slovenian league to the upper echelons of the Italian top tier has been speedy and impressive.
The 22 year old playmaker has scored seven and set up many more as he has helped keep the side in or around the top four all season. Along with Javier Pastore, the Argentine international, Ilicic has formed the basis of a strong attacking midfield and it is no surprise that some big guns are looking to snap up the rangy midfielder. Any bid will have to wait until the summer though as he has already being registered with two different clubs this season.
See below a compilation of his best bits.
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