Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Tottenham overtaken by Bundesliga giants with Paratici practically powerless to prevent €20m transfer fail

Weston McKennie, Theo Hernandez, Juventus, AC Milan, October 2022

Despite being the most likely candidate to bring Weston McKennie to the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur have learned they are falling behind a Bundesliga giant in the battle for his transfer, according to reports.

McKennie looks likely to be on the move in 2023. He has been with Juventus since 2020, but now the Serie A side seem ready to move on from him. Although he has played 16 times for them this season, he is someone Juventus could cash in on.

In that case, Tottenham will be among the main clubs looking at him. They have been heavily linked with McKennie in recent weeks as they look to evolve their own midfield.

Fabio Paratici was already responsible for signing him at Juventus and could look to repeat the trick for Tottenham.

However, it has now emerged via Corriere Di Torino – an outlet local to Juventus – that Spurs are not in pole position for the USA international any more.

According to the Italian source, McKennie is actually more likely to move to Borussia Dortmund at this stage.

The transfer would represent a return to the Bundesliga for the former Schalke star. He previously played in Germany between 2016 and 2020.

Now, it is being claimed that Schalke’s rivals are leading the race to sign McKennie for €20million (£17.2million).

Tottenham do remain the leading contender from within the Premier League. But overall, Borussia Dortmund have overtaken them.

Paratici factor may now be working against Tottenham

Paratici’s presence may actually be working against Spurs now. Juventus are currently under investigation for some of their transfers in recent years. The Tottenham managing director is among those being blamed internally.

Therefore, they are now less likely to do business with him. It may mean the signature of McKennie slips from Tottenham’s grasp – especially with a concrete alternative taking shape for him.

Spurs have been linked with other midfielders, such as Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, so would still have a chance of strengthening the department even without McKennie.

However, after pursuing him for a long time, it would be a kick in the teeth for them to miss out – especially when he seems affordable.

Paratici has helped them secure a few good signings before, including those from Juventus. However, now his presence may be backfiring against Tottenham for something beyond their control.

In turn, their chances of luring McKennie to north London seem to be going down. But all is not lost yet and they should keep competing for his signature. It is a case to be continued, rather than closed.

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