Tottenham Hotspur are in talks with Galatasaray for both Victor Nelsson and Nicolo Zaniolo, with the duo valued at €60 million.
According to Milliyet, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are in talks with Turkish side Galatasaray regarding a double deal for Victor Nelsson and Nicolo Zaniolo. The duo is valued at around €60 million.
The north Londoners have ramped up their summer activity following the arrival of new boss Ange Postecoglou. Daniel Levy has already brought in Gugliemo Vicario and James Maddison to plug in two key weaknesses in the club’s roster.
Bringing in another versatile attacker will take the heat off Harry Kane and Son Heung-min while another centre-back will be needed given Eric Dier’s inconsistency. The latter is, in particular, key given that Davinson Sanchez could be on his way out this summer.
Having completed the swoop for Maddison, focus is now shifting to both Zaniolo and Nelsson. The former, in particular, will be a familiar name for Spurs having been linked with him since his time at AS Roma. Deploying him on the right will give Tottenham a fluid attacking quartet led by Kane up top, Son on the left, and Maddison in the number 10 role. It should tie in well with Postecoglou’s all-attacking style.
Nelsson, meanwhile is a modern-day centre-back who is good on the ball and is also aerially dominant. He is a good foil for the more athletic Cristian Romero and could thrive in north London. While Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven are higher-profile players, Nelsson could prove to be a hidden gem should the transfer go ahead as intended.
Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur was in London to hold talks for both players, and there is a chance that Tottenham fans could have news to celebrate in the coming days. The Turkish club are willing to part with the duo for around €60 million, a decent deal in all aspects.
Tottenham, for their part, are keen to offset the price by offering multiple players in part exchange. At this moment in time, it is unclear as to which players have been offered to Galatasaray. Timur does not appear to have been taken in by the counter-offer but continues to talk to Tottenham regarding a potential arrangement.
A major blow for Tottenham could be Zaniolo’s preference to return to Serie A with Juventus. A lot could depend on whether an agreement can be found between the Galatasaray and Tottenham before Juventus potentially enter the fray.
Landing both players will give Tottenham a more balanced roster with enough strength in depth. Whether it will be enough to convince Harry Kane to pen an extension or not remains to be seen.
