La Liga giants Atletico Madrid have reportedly set sights on Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid have emerged as another potential destination for Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga. The Spurs youth product has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is nearing a summer exit.
Tanganga has made just 43 appearances for the Tottenham first team since debuting for them in the 2019/20 season. He started the recently-concluded season at right-back for the north London club, but a knee injury restricted him to just 11 Premier League appearances.
Moreover, he doesn’t feature in Antonio Conte’s plans going forward and could be offloaded this summer as Spurs prepare for a new centre-back arrival. Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies are all ahead of him on the Italian tactician’s priority list.
Wales international Joe Rodon is also being linked with an exit after further falling down the pecking order at the club. The club could thus see two of their centre-backs depart before adding one to the squad.
23-year-old Tanganga had been attracting interest from Italy, with the likes of Inter Milan, Napoli, AC Milan and Juventus, all being linked with moves for him since January. Inter and Napoli have shown interest more recently, with Tanganga’s ability to play as a right-back as well impressing them.
Now, Atletico Madrid have emerged as the latest side to show interest in the former England Under-21 international. Diego Simeone is keen to add reinforcements in the defensive department and is exploring options to sign in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Rojiblancos are eager to sign a right-sided defender and Tanganga fits the bill, as he can replace Felipe at centre-back or provide cover at right-back, where Sime Vrsaljko is likely to depart. The Tottenham defender still has three years left on his current contract with the club and is currently valued at €12 million by Transfermarkt.
The 23-year-old could prove to be a good option for Simeone and Atletico Madrid, providing depth in two positions in their defensive department.
