Tottenham could be in the market for a new centre-back this summer, with Ben Jacobs revealing some possible targets in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
Spurs are fans of Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie, but that might be a tricky signing to get done since he’s just signed a new contract with the Bundesliga giants, so Jacobs also named Wolves ace Max Kilman as one to watch as he could be on the move at the end of this season.
Hincapie has shone in his time with Leverkusen, looking one of the finest young defenders in Europe, but it might be that a window of opportunity to sign the Ecuador international is now gone.
Still, if Tottenham do end up going for Kilman instead, the 25-year-old looks a fine alternative who could surely strengthen Antonio Conte’s side in an important area.
“Tottenham do really like Hincapie and Newcastle and Everton have him on their radar, too,” Jacobs explained.
“I don’t see Everton being able to attract Hincapie, and if they go down there’s obviously no chance. Spurs is probably a better fit than Newcastle for Hincapie because Newcastle’s backline basically picks itself right now, whereas Spurs really want a centre-back, and even more so if Lenglet doesn’t become permanent. With Milan Skriniar going to PSG and his Inter teammate Alessandro Bastoni not likely to be gettable, Hincapie could become a more urgent priority for Tottenham. And if they qualify for the Champions League, there will be a healthy budget to spend again this summer.
“Also keep an eye on Wolves’ Max Kilman, who Spurs like and could well be on the move at the end of the season. What Antonio Conte really wants, in all positions, is more ‘starter-signings’. Spurs made a high volume of additions last summer, but not every player is an automatic-starter. Now I think the Spurs boss would prefer less names coming in but a higher number he’s confident go straight into his XI rather than only the matchday squad.”
Tottenham fans will no doubt be keeping an eye on these defensive talents ahead of the summer to see how they perform ahead of what could be an important transfer window in the summer.