Tottenham Hotspur are gearing up for a big January window, and they have earmarked Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij as one of their priority targets.
According to Football Insider, Tottenham are planning to raid Inter Milan as Antonio Conte wants a deal done for defender Stefan de Vrij. The Dutch defender is in the last year of his contract and will be free to discuss a pre-contract with interested clubs in January.
Spurs had a pretty busy summer as Antonio Conte tried to plug the holes he thought his team had in the past season. He did bring Clement Lenglet from Barcelona to solidify his backline, but the French international is due to return to his parent club after the completion of his loan deal.
Tottenham do have a number of talented defenders with the likes of Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez. But Conte’s demand of nurturing a certain type of play cannot be executed by everyone.
Stefan de Vrij was linked with Tottenham back in the summer. But Inter did not want to hamper their preparations for the 2022/23 season, and the player remained at San Siro.
But the situation has changed, and de Vrij is now more inclined towards leaving the club. A contract renewal talk could take place in the coming days, but his poor form could be a hindrance.
De Vrij joined Inter from Lazio in 2018. And should both parties fail to reach a conclusion he might be ready to bid adieu to the club next summer. However, Inter are in dire need of funds, and a cut-price deal could be a win-win situation for both of them. As little as £10 million should be enough to tempt the club in selling the Dutch defender.
Conte had the knowledge of managing de Vrij during his Inter Milan days, and a happy reunion could be on the cards. The Dutch defender has had his stints in a three-man defensive setup and could be a real upgrade over Ben Davies who is a makeshift centre-back.
Inter will try to get the best possible deal, but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is known for his tough stance in the transfer market and could pull off a miraculous move next year.
We had a 20 mill Dutch defender in Jan Vertonghen!! And Toby Alderwield!! Bring them and Siggurdson back and we would probably play more attractive football!😳