Tottenham transfer explodes into life after director jets in for critical talks; ‘reasonable fee’ expected

A key Fenerbahce official has flown to England to hold crunch talks over the signing of Tottenham centre-back Eric Dier, while Spurs have also held talks on landing a gigantic upgrade.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou had made no secret of his desire to sign a brand new centre-back next month.

“When you think about it we let Davinson Sanchez go (to Galatasaray) after the window closed,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports last week.

“We kind of knew we were taking a bit of a risk; we couldn’t get the extra centre-back that we were trying to get in, and for the early part of the year that was fine.

“But once we lost Micky [van de Ven], and Eric Dier’s had some issues as well, we don’t have another centre-back.

“Young Ash Phillips had just joined the club, so it’s fair to say that we can’t run the risk of that happening again, so that’s obviously a priority for us in January.

“But again, we’ve got to get the right person. It’s not just about bringing another body in, it’s about getting the right one in and hopefully that’ll happen.”

Dier, 29, is wholly unfancied by Postecoglou who has often selected full-backs ahead of the England international.

Indeed, Ben Davies has got the nod to feature alongside Cristian Romero of late. When both Romero and Van de Ven were absent, Postecoglou remarkably went with a backline consisting of four full-backs, with Davies and Emerson Royal playing centrally.

Dier is out of contract at the end of the current campaign. Football Insider previously reported he plans to run his contract down ahead of signing a lucrative free agent contract next summer.

However, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has other ideas. According to the Mirror, Levy intends to cash in on Dier while he still can next month.

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Levy to get his wish?

Now, according to reports out of Turkey (as cited by Sport Witness), Levy could soon get his way.

It’s reported Turkish giant Fenerbahce have emerged as a genuine contender to snap up Dier next month.

Rather than settle for forging a pre-contract agreement, Fenerbahce are reportedly ready pay a ‘reasonable fee’ to sign Dier mid-season. Precisely how much they’ll put on the table isn’t yet clear.

In any case, Fenerbahce’s interest does appear serious given one of their board members recently flew to England to hold talks with Dier.

Selahattin Baki is understood to have flown to the capital to hold discussions with Dier’s camp specifically. Fenerbahce’s intention would appear to be determining whether Dier would be open to the move before firming up their interest with Spurs.

As such, getting the green light from the player is of critical importance before the deal can progress. Having a bid accepted by Spurs would serve no purpose if Dier is dead set against moving to Turkey.

Tottenham in talks with Dier upgrade

It stands to reason Dier’s exit will only be greenlit if a new centre-half has been lined up.

To that end, the Daily Mail and Football London both confirm multiple rounds of talks have been held regarding a move for Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo.

The French centre-half, 23, had been installed as Man Utd’s No 1 defensive target next month. The Sir Jim Ratcliffe connection – given he owns Nice – had been tipped to swing a deal United’s way.

But it’s Spurs who’ve stolen a march on the Red Devils and the Mail even claimed Todibo is keen on signing for the north London side.

The full details on Tottenham’s developing chase of Todibo can be found below…

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