Tottenham pushing to sign £25m Serie A midfielder after Nations League scouting mission

Tottenham are reportedly keen on signing Italy international midfielder Samuele Ricci from Torino after scouting the player in the Nations League on Monday evening.

The 23-year-old has attracted the attention of a host of European clubs with his performances in Serie A, with Torino valuing him at £25million (€29m, $32m) as Spurs keep tabs on his progress ahead of a potential move.

According to HITC, the north London club watched Ricci in action during the UEFA Nations League clash between Italy and Israel as the Italians ran out 2-1 winners.

Ricci started the game at the Bozsik Arena. playing 86 minutes before being replaced by Mattia Zaccagni.

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The fee of £25m for a player who is still at the start of his career and has been capped four times for his country appears more than reasonable.

Postecoglou still hunting midfielders

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou still has an eye on bringing in another midfielder in the January transfer window having missed out on several targets over the summer.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were brought in while Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso were sold, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was loaned out and Tanguy Ndombele released.

Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur have all featured in Postecoglou’s engine room so far this season but Postecoglou wants more of a forward-thinking No.8 to balance out the options he has.

And while Gray and Bergvall are considered mainstays for years to come, Ricci could compliment that pair if Tottenham do decide to follow up their interest.

The Italian has been likened to Manchester City star in terms of his playing style and would be a sound investment at that price point.

Rabiot remains a free agent option

Ricci is not the only midfielder being linked with a switch to north London, with links continuing to former Juventus star Adrien Rabiot, who is also on Arsenal’s radar.

The France international was released by the Turin giants over the summer and remains on the market, despite offers being on the table from Turkish clubs before their window shuts on September 13.

That lateness of the window closing in Turkey could also cost Spurs one of Postecoglou’s trusted defensive stars, with Galatasaray pushing to sign Wales international Ben Davies.

Ricci fits the bill for Ange

In terms of how Ricci would fit in at Tottenham under Postecoglou, journalist Stephen Ganavas previously said of the player: “Like the key figures of Roberto Mancini’s European Championship winning midfield – Marco Verratti, Jorginho, Nicolò Barella, Manuel Locatelli – Ricci is supremely confident playing in tight spaces, evading pressure and punching short, crisp passes to break defensive lines.”

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Ricci scored one goal and had four assists for Torino last season, lining up 23 times as a defensive midfielder, five times in the No.8 role and four outings as a No.10. That shows the versatility the player possesses, something Postecoglou loves to utilise in his free-flowing brand of football.