Tottenham at risk of unthinkable exit as Man Utd, Liverpool plot massive signing of Antonio Conte favourite

Antonio Conte could be about to lose one of his most important Tottenham players after Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid reportedly set their sights on him.

Tottenham have most of their players back from the World Cup, although a few remain in the tournament. Hugo Lloris is hoping to lift the coveted trophy for the second time in a row with France, while Ivan Perisic and Cristian Romero will come up against each other in the Croatia vs Argentina semi-final on Tuesday.

Conte will be hoping none of that trio get injured while on international duty as Tottenham have some big fixtures coming up.

They face fellow London side Brentford on Boxing Day, before games against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. After an FA Cup third-round clash with Portsmouth, it is then the big one between Spurs and Arsenal on January 15.

Conte’s men will be looking to get revenge on the Gunners after losing 3-1 to them earlier in the season. Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka all got on the scoresheet for Arsenal, while Harry Kane netted Spurs’ only goal. Emerson Royal got sent off in that game, too.

While Conte will have one eye on the World Cup when considering the strength of his squad, he must also keep tabs on the January transfer window.

That’s because a report is linking big clubs like Man Utd, Liverpool and Real with one of his most impressive stars.

According to The Hard Tackle, who cite reports coming out of Spain, those three teams are hoping to raid Spurs for Rodrigo Bentancur.

Man Utd, Liverpool among suitors for Tottenham man

They have been left dazzled by his top performances for Spurs since moving to England from Juventus in January.

Man Utd, Liverpool and Real all believe Bentancur would be a great addition to their respective squads. As such, they are plotting massive proposals for him next year.

Due to how important Bentancur is for Conte, Spurs will not consider any bids during the campaign. But once the season ends, this stance may change.

And the report even claims Spurs have set his price tag €60million (currently £51.5m). This would see Spurs make a big profit after originally signing the Uruguayan for £15.8m (as per Sky Sports).

Bentancur has been hugely influential for Spurs this term. He has gotten among the goals and has formed a solid midfield partnership with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Yves Bissouma. This explains why Man Utd, Liverpool and Real have all taken an interest in him.

Spurs likely to reject Rodrigo Bentancur proposals

But it is hard to see this transfer going through. After all, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is an incredibly tough negotiator and will probably value Bentancur at way more than £51.5m.

This is shown by the Harry Kane transfer saga from summer 2021. Manchester City hoped to sign the striker but were put off by Levy’s colossal demands. He apparently asked for £150m to sell Spurs’ talisman.

Levy will pull off a similar strategy if any clubs come calling for Bentancur next year. This is also down to the fact other English teams want the 25-year-old. Levy does not want to strengthen close Premier League rivals.

It seems Man Utd, Liverpool and Real will all have to pursue alternative midfielders. Luckily for Liverpool and Real, they both stand a chance at landing Jude Bellingham from Dortmund.

Man Utd, meanwhile, are prioritising a new striker and hope to capture PSV’s Cody Gakpo.

Elsewhere, Spurs have surprisingly been linked with a Premier League winger who has an expiring contract.