Tottenham transfer plans wrecked as Nuno muscles Nottingham Forest into contention for €30m defender

Tottenham are in serious danger of missing out on the signing of Radu Dragusin after reports in Italy claimed their former boss Nuno Espirito Santo was leading the charge to bring the Genoa defender to Nottingham Forest instead.

A lack of a deep enough squad has proved Spurs’ Achilles heel so far this season, with a number of injuries and suspensions derailing the sublime start they had made under Ange Postecoglou’s management. And while Tottenham can claim a fourth successive win on Thursday evening with victory over Brighton, the Australian is well aware that his squad are already at full stretch.

And their resources are likely to be questioned even more in the coming weeks with midfield duo Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma heading to the African Cup of Nations and defender Cristian Romero suffering a hamstring problem that will sideline him for the next four to five weeks.

Thankfully, the January window presents Spurs with the chance to find a fix to their long-standing issues, and Postecoglou has made clear his desire to strengthen in the centre of defence.

Given he was forced to utilise full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal as a makeshift pairing in the heart of defence for the trip to Manchester City at the start of the month, it would be hard to argue against his reasoning.

As a result, Wednesday’s Euro Paper Talk claimed Tottenham were closing on the signing of Genoa defender Dragusin in their first piece of business of the January window.

The Romania international has established himself as one of Serie A’s best defenders since moving from Juventus back in summer 2022.

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Forest look to hijack Tottenham move for Radu Dragusin

However, Genoa know that they would find it hard to resist a sizeable offer for their prized asset and have made it clear they would consider his sale if offered €30m (£26.1m) for the 6ft 3in centre-half.

That price appeared to scare off his suitors within Serie A, but not it seems Spurs, who were said to be ‘closing’ on the 13-cap international’s signature.

The move, though, does not appear as cut-and-dried as originally appeared, with former Tottenham boss Nuno looking to steal a march on their planned Dragusin approach.

And according to Corriere dello Sport, Nuno’s new club, Nottingham Forest, are prepared to back their manager’s wish to bring in the 21-year-old Romanian, having emerged as strong candidates for his signature.

The report claims Forest have ‘already made contact’ over a deal and are ready to blow away all other suitors to win the race for Dragusin.

The hard cash that the Tricky Trees plan to offer will also ensure his other suitors, such as AC Milan and Roma, are blown out of the water with a potential auction between Forest and Spurs now set to determine the player’s destination.

Dragusin, previously of Juventus, has made 56 appearances for Genoa, scoring five times in those games. He is contracted to the club until summer 2027.

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