Tottenham have added Gregor Kobel to the list of alternatives to David Raya as they plan to walk away from talks for the Spaniard.
According to 90min, Tottenham are considering walking away from negotiations for David Raya and has added Gregor Kobel to their list of alternatives. Spurs are not ready to pay Brentford’s £40 million asking price and may consider a move for the 25-year-old Borussia Dortmund star, among other targets.
Gregor Kobel has been attracting interest from his performances with Borussia Dortmund. The 25-year-old may look to leave the Bundesliga club for the right offer and a chance to play in a bigger league, like the Premier League. While there was interest back in March, things have looked dry since.
Tottenham have now emerged in the race for Kobel as they continue to pursue a new goalkeeper in the summer. Hugo Lloris seems destined to leave despite a year left on his contract. Even if he doesn’t, Spurs will want a new custodian in the starting lineup from next season.
They remain linked with Giorgi Mamardashvili, who Valencia are ready to sell amid their financial crisis. Other names like Brighton & Hove Albion’s Robert Sanchez and Empoli Guglielmo Vicario are also mentioned.
🚨 Tottenham have told David Raya they could walk away from talks with Brentford due to £40m asking price.
Neither side budging in negotiations and Spurs considering other names such as Gregor Kobel, Guglielmo Vicario and Robert Sanchez.https://t.co/JqXtRaIB1A
— Sean Walsh (@SeanDZWalsh) June 20, 2023
However, those names, including Kobel, are the only alternatives. The 25-year-old has shown immense maturity with his performances in the past season. In that campaign, Dortmund narrowly missed out on the Bundesliga title. The German side could ask for a high fee if interest comes in, which may bother Spurs.
Tottenham consider the 25-year-old an alternative to Brentford’s David Raya. The Spaniard has been their primary target heading into the summer window. The Bees’ goalkeeper had previously reiterated his desire to play at a bigger club and possibly in the Champions League.
Hence, there was a surprise when he seemed inclined to join Tottenham, who will not play in any European competition next season. To their credit, they are a much bigger club than Brentford, and hence Raya’s choice was understandable.
There was the interest of Manchester United briefly, but Tottenham seemed like the favourites to land. They were also close to agreeing on personal terms with the keeper but were not ready to pay the £40 million demanded by Brentford.
Both sides were seemingly locked in negotiations but unwilling to budge on their demands. Tottenham felt the fee was excessive for a player in the last year of his deal, but the Bees seem ready to keep him on board for the remainder of his contract.
Hence, they are ready to walk away from a deal for the Spaniard and look at alternative targets in the market. Kobel could become a definitive target if they agree on a fee with Dortmund. The lack of European football could hurt their chances with the 25-year-old Bundesliga star or other potential targets.
Bluff to shake Brentford into lower expectation.
I do hope you’re right. It is something Levy does.
You must be joking. You only have to watch the last game for Dortmund to see how bad this keeper is. If Levy signs him there’s no coming back from that.