Tottenham challenge Aston Villa for bargain Serie A signing who’ll replace Postecoglou outcast

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to rival Aston Villa for the signing of Serie A star Michael Kayode, who could replace an unwanted player in North London.

Kayode is a 20-year-old full-back who mainly plays on the right side of defence but can also operate on the left if needed. He spent time in the Juventus academy but joined Fiorentina’s youth ranks in July 2021.

Kayode has enjoyed an impressive rise at Fiorentina and is now a regular in their first team, having made 37 appearances across all competitions last season.

The defender’s exciting performances have seen him force his way into the Italy U21 setup and also emerge as a target for Premier League clubs.

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Tottenham, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Manchester City have all been linked with moves for Kayode, while it was claimed in March that Arsenal are ‘crazy’ about landing him.

In June, it emerged that Tottenham are ‘serious’ about winning the race for Kayode, but Villa entered talks for him earlier this week.

As per the latest from the Italian media, Spurs will challenge Villa for the talented youngster as they strongly ‘appreciate’ his ability.

It is ‘London calling’ for Kayode, with Spurs expected to submit a better offer for him than Villa.

Tottenham transfers: Michael Kayode battle tipped

Ange Postecoglou’s side could agree a bargain deal with Fiorentina, too. The Italian outfit have previously demanded more than £34million for the player, but that asking price looks set to fall.

The reports state that Nikola Milenkovic’s switch to Nottingham Forest has not brought in as much money as was hoped before the transfer window began, and their need to bring in funds will allow Spurs to sign Kayode for much less than £34m.

Kayode is emerging as a strong contender to replace Emerson Royal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Emerson’s influence on Spurs waned as the 2023-24 season went on, with Postecoglou largely keeping him on the bench in the final stages of the Premier League campaign, and this culminated with the club putting him up for sale recently.

AC Milan are big fans of the Brazilian, despite his struggles in North London, and have held several rounds of talks with Spurs as they attempt to finalise his signing.

Milan and Spurs were initially very far apart in their respective valuations of the right-back, which saw the transfer almost reach collapse at one stage.

But the latest reports state that Emerson’s transfer to Milan is due to be finalised by the end of the week after the Rossoneri submitted a new, improved offer for his services.

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