Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele are two of three targets who Tottenham Hotspur are targeting next month.
Antonio Conte is desperate to add quality to his Spurs squad in order to get them to the level he wants them to be, and according to the Express he will look to strike three typically Spurs-like cut-price deals for three players whose contracts are expiring in the coming summer.
The first, and most significant of these comes in the form of one of Conte’s signings from his days at Chelsea; 28-year-old Rudiger. The German centre-back is out of contract in the coming summer after failing to agree terms on a new deal.
While Spurs cannot directly negotiate with him in order to sign him as a free agent yet due to being in the same league as Chelsea, they can seek to agree a transfer fee with their London rivals and sign him before a club from overseas beats them to the punch.
However, the report does indicate that a summer move is far more likely than a January transfer should Rudiger decide to remain in England beyond the duration of his current Chelsea contract.
Dembele is next on Conte’s wishlist, and with Dembele’s host club Barcelona in dire financial trouble after years of overspending on wages and transfer fees, the club could look to offset some assets, with the injury prone Dembele likely to be one of these.
The 24-year-old, who was part of the France 2018 World Cup winning squad, is undoubtedly talented. But he is incredibly injury prone which has led to him suffering with irregular form. If he can find some regular fitness then this would be a deal Spurs should pursue with eagerness, but instead they need to approach it with caution.
The third player out of contract this summer on the Spurs radar is one-club man Lorenzo Insigne.
Excluding loan deals, Insigne has spent the entirety of his career with Napoli, and has scored 114 goals and provided 91 assists in 415 games.
The 30-year-old has proven pedigree at the top level of European Football but whether or not he would be a smart fit for Spurs considering the options already at their disposal remains to be seen.
Whatever the case, Spurs under Conte look like they mean business.