Next Tottenham signing books London flight after £43m breakthrough – but duo in same role could change clubs
After David Ornstein revealed Tottenham were on the verge of agreeing a deal to sign Micky van de Ven, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the defender will travel to London on Saturday.
Van de Ven is due to become the first part of Tottenham’s defensive rebuild this summer. He has risen to prominence with Wolfsburg, attracting the attention of various clubs. But Spurs seem to have won the race to sign him.
Earlier on Friday, The Athletic reporter Ornstein confirmed Tottenham were nearing an agreement with Wolfsburg to sign the centre-back for a fee worth up to €50m (£43.2m).
Now, Romano has revealed that Van de Ven will fly to London on Saturday in order to complete his move to Tottenham. He will have to complete a medical before putting pen to paper on a long-term contract.
The left-footed defender made 36 appearances for Wolfsburg last season in what was a breakthrough year for his development after just five outings in the previous campaign.
His next step will be to arrive in the Premier League with Tottenham, where he will be tasked with helping to shore up a defensive department that contributed to one of the worst goals-against records in the top flight outside the relegation zone last season.
With Ange Postecoglou transforming Tottenham’s defence into one that uses a back four, Van de Ven – who at the age of 22 is a prospect for the future as much as a reinforcement for right now – could theoretically become the main partner for Cristian Romero at centre-back.
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Two to vacate Tottenham defence
But while he is set to arrive at the club, two of Tottenham’s centre-backs from last season are being targeted elsewhere.
According to L’Equipe, Davinson Sanchez has become the subject of interest from Strasbourg in Ligue 1, who are now managed by former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira.
Tottenham had agreed to sell Sanchez to Spartak Moscow earlier this summer, but it was not a move he was willing to make. Therefore, he has been searching for a new solution and Strasbourg – who have the same owners as Chelsea – might be the club to provide it.
Furthermore, Tottenham have been debating whether or not to bring Clement Lenglet back after his loan spell from Barcelona.
According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, though, he has now become a target for AC Milan as well, which could complicate his chances of returning to north London.
The fact that Tottenham are investing in a different left-footed centre-back in the shape of Van de Ven may be a clue that Lenglet’s future lies away from them.
In that case, Tottenham’s centre-back options for the new season should be Romero, Van de Ven, Eric Dier and maybe one more new signing such as Edmond Tapsoba or Ashley Phillips.
