Mourinho faces dilemma on Tottenham youngster he called ‘phenomenal’
Norwich City have reportedly enquired about taking Oliver Skipp on loan from Tottenham for a second successive season.
The midfielder has been a key part of the Canaries’ side in their 2020/21 campaign as they have looked to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
The Championship leaders look set to achieve their goal having opened up a 10-point gap to second-placed Watford with 11 games of the season to go.
According to Football Insider, they have made contact with Spurs in the aim of taking Skipp on loan once more as they prepare for life back in the top flight.
The 20-year-old has impressed both his loan and parent club with his performances this season. He has been ever-present in defensive midfield, featuring in all 35 league games to date.
He is regarded in north London as a future first team star. Jose Mourinho described him as “phenomenal” last season.
However, Mourinho will have to decide whether he wants to integrate Skipp into his team sooner rather than later, or let him spend another campaign developing away from the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
He has a number of options in the middle of the park but has struggled to find a consistent partner for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this season.
The trio of Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks have all been rotated in and out of the second central position alongside the Dane.
Last month it was reported that Skipp was set to be the man to fill that role for the 2021/22 campaign.
Spurs persist with Lukic interest
It remains to be seen what the future holds for the England Under-21 international, with Mourinho eyeing up a move for Torino midfielder Sasa Lukic.
Mourinho reportedly remains hopeful of bringing Lukic to the club this summer, despite claims his fee doubled to what was initially quoted.
The Spurs boss was linked with a move for the Serbian over the weekend after an impressive season for the Serie A outfit. It’s claimed Mourinho viewed Lukic as a cheaper alternative for Marcel Sabitzer, who could cost as much as €45m this summer.
As per the report, Lukic could be offloaded for as little as €5m this summer – a fee that was said to have pleased Daniel Levy.
However, Torino Granata claims the €5m initially quoted is much lower than Torino’s asking price. Indeed, they state Spurs could be told to fork out at least €10m for Lukic, amid a growing list of admirers.