Tottenham contact Lazio over £20m defender as £22m striker deal nears

Tottenham have reportedly been in touch with Lazio to check on the availability of defender Luiz Felipe, the man now claimed to be their top defensive summer target.

Champions League semi-finalists Tottenham decided to extend 30-year-old Alderweireld’s contract by a further year in January, but in doing so activated a clause which states that the Belgian can leave for a cut-price £26million in the summer.

And with negotiations over a new deal between Alderweireld and Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said to have broken down, the defender’s future looks increasingly likely to lie away from North London. Juventus were the latest club linked with his signature recently.

As a result, Tottenham have been scouring the market for would-be replacements and were thought to have Sampdoria’s Joachim Anderson a prime target, having recently sent scouts to check on the Dane.

But the Daily Mirror claims 22-year-old Felipe, who is Brazilian but has an Italian passport, is understood to be their No 1 target, with reported in the Italian media going as far to suggest Spurs have already made initial contact with Lazio over a summer deal.

Felipe is valued by the Rome club at around £18m-20m – a figure which would not dissuade Spurs from trying to strike a deal.

Tottenham, meanwhile, are also being tipped to win the race to sign Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez.

The Uruguayan is seen as an ideal replacement for Wednesday night’s matchwinner Fernando Llorente – who looks set to leave north London as a free agent this summer – though comes with a €50m exit clause.

However, with Celta currently battling to stay in LaLiga – they are currently 17th in the table – the terms of his contract will see his exit fee halve in the event of their demotion. And the potential €25m asking price is music to savvy Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy’s ears, with the club ready to sanction his signing.

The striker has been Celta’s shining light over the past couple of seasons, having hit 28 LaLiga goals in 62 starts since joining from Defensor Sporting in 2017.

 

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