Tottenham rattle big-name rivals to lead chase for another impressive Serie A signing

Tottenham have reportedly jumped ahead of Serie A giants Juventus in the race to sign a highly-rated Bologna defender this summer.

The north London side has used the Italian market extensively in recent years, with Radu Dragusin the latest capture when the Romanian centre-back arrived from Genoa back in January.

And it now looks as if Spurs may have beaten a number of teams to the capture of Bologna defensive standout Riccardo Calafiori as well.

TuttoJuve reports that Ange Postecoglou’s men have been battling Juve, AC Milan and Napoli for the 21-year-old’s signature.

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Indeed, respected transfer insider Fabrizio Romando also reported recently that Tottenham would have a tough battle on their hands with the Bianconeri for Calafiori after the Turin outfit made him their number-one transfer target ahead of the summer.

Tutto have followed that up with a fresh report on the former Basel man, who has impressed with his composure on the ball and defensive versatility so far this term.

The Italian states, however, that’s Tottenham who are leading the way for the centre-back and currently the ‘favourites’ to seal a transfer as they have ‘greater liquidity’ than Massimiliano Allegri’s side.

There is no mention of what sort of fee Bologna are looking to recoup for the player, although he is currently valued at €25million (£21m) on Transfetrmarkt.

Calafiori the latest Serie A talent wanted by Tottenham

The move for Calafiori follows a similar pattern for Tottenham in the current transfer market as they continued to be advised by former sporting director Fabio Paratici, whose knowledge of the Italian leagues is second to none.

Recently, they’ve also been heavily linked with Torino’s Alessandro Buongiorno and impressive Genoa attacking midfielder Albert Gudmundsson, with Calafiori now seemingly firmly on their radar too.

However, the one big question mark remains over why Tottenham are continuing to move for another central defender when there are other areas of the team that are in glaring need of an upgrade.

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A new central midfielder is an absolute must, with Potecoglou’s side often dominated in that area while the addition of a new No.9 will also be critical to the club’s hopes of competing on a more consistent level next season.

Spurs are back in action on Thursday evening when they head to Chelsea in the Premier League before a visit to Liverpool just three days later.