Ange Postecoglou eyes £20m Tottenham transfer for midfield star who rejected Arsenal

Tottenham are reportedly planning a £20m move for an in-demand midfielder who once snubbed the chance to join north London rivals Arsenal.

After a fifth-place finish last time out in the Premier League, Tottenham are making some exciting signings ahead of the new campaign.

Leeds United’s academy jewel Archie Gray joined for a fee that could rise to £40m, Spurs splashed out £65m on Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, and winger Wilson Odobert swapped Burnley for Ange Postecoglou’s side for a fee in the region of £25m.

Coupled with recruiting midfielders Lucas Bergvall from Djurgarden and Yang Min-Hyeok from Gangwon FC respectively; Spurs seem to be shaping up nicely for 2024/25.

On the flip side, they have seen a number of players leave permanently, such as Emerson Royal, Ivan Perisic, Tanguy Ndombele, Joe Rodon, and Eric Dier, or on loan – such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bryan Gil.

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While many of these were on the fringes, some were still options to come off the bench. And if they want to progress up the league table this term, more quality additions may be needed.

On Thursday, manager Postecoglou said on the possibility of more deals: “Look, I think while it’s open there’s always kind of a little bit uncertainty about because there are so many moving parts to it, you know, it’s not just, there’s outgoings and incomings.

“As opposed to last year where there was a lot more moving parts, you’re working within a sort of smaller spectrum of uncertainty, certainly for me, anyway, that I can plan for the season knowing that the bulk of the work’s been done.

“Whatever we get from here on in is not going to disrupt us too much, both incoming and outgoing. So from that perspective, I think I said after the weekend I still expect there will be activity, but I think the uncertainty factor is a lot less than last year.”

Tottenham eye Juventus star

And according to Football Insider, Spurs are plotting to sign Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli this summer, although several other Premier League clubs are understood to be tracking him, too.

The report adds Postecoglou wants another central midfielder before the transfer window shuts on August 30 and the 26-year-old, who can play as an eight or a six, is on the club’s target list.

The Old Lady would reportedly be willing to sell the Italy international for £20m – but the fact that he has four years left on his contract puts the Serie A team in a strong negotiating position.

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If Tottenham were to sign Locatelli, who made 40 appearances for Juventus last season, it may be hard to take for some Arsenal fans. That’s because the 6ft 1in player turned down the Gunners for Juventus back in 2021, according to Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali.

Locatelli joined the Italian giants for a fee in the region of £30m, initially on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy. But it could have been very different if he decided to go to the Emirates instead.

Carnevali said earlier this year: “The economic side of a transfer is important, but not decisive. For example, Locatelli absolutely wanted to go to Juventus, we satisfied him even though we gave up the financial aspect because there was interest from another club, Arsenal.”

Locatelli’s brother, Mattia, added: “I still remember the negotiation (that took him to Juventus). For him it was very long. There was also Arsenal, but he wanted Juventus. The clubs kept meeting, but without reaching an agreement. Every day I looked at Gazzetta dello Sport to check (what was happening).”

Fast forward to the present and Arsenal’s loss may be Tottenham’s gain.