‘Bid accepted!’ – Tottenham use flop in swap deal to beat Arsenal to key target Postecoglou wants

Tottenham have reportedly had a ‘bid accepted’ for Galatasaray centre-back Victor Nelsson as Ange Postecoglou looks to improve his defence.

Spurs have included Davinson Sanchez as part of the deal, who Postecoglou is happy to part ways with this summer.

Reports suggest Tottenham are willing to offload Sanchez, Ben Davies, Japhet Tanganga and Eric Dier. So their backline could look very different in the coming season.

That is no surprise, though, given their shocking defensive record last term.

They conceded 63 goals, which was the sixth-worst record in the Premier League. That was ultimately the key reason they finished in a disappointing eighth place in the table.

Tottenham have been pursuing deals for several centre-backs recently. For instance, two Bundesliga defenders, Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven and Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba are top of their shortlist. 

Despite this, reports suggest the London club have just made a successful bid for Nelsson, so he may well be the first defensive recruit through the door.

The Denmark international has been one of Galatasaray’s key players since joining the Turkish club in 2021.

Nelsson made 35 appearances across all competitions for Galatasaray last season. In the process, he helped his team keep 17 clean sheets and scored two goals.

As noted by TEAMtalk, Nelsson’s performances have caught the attention of several European clubs, including Arsenal, who were also interested in signing him.

It now seems, however, that Tottenham have won the battle for his signature.

Reports from Turkey (as cited by Sport Witness) claim that Spurs have seen a part exchange offer of €15m (£13m) plus Davinson Sanchez for Nelsson accepted.

Nelsson is thought to be keen on a move to Tottenham and it seems Daniel Levy has found a clever way of offloading an unwanted player while bringing in a new centre-back.

Sanchez still has to agree to join Galatasaray, though. If he doesn’t, Spurs will have to pay a straight fee of  €25m (£21m) to secure the Dane’s signature.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Sanchez gives a move to the Turkish club the green light.

Tottenham will still look to bring in more defenders this summer, though. In that regard, Van de Ven and Tapsoba are the two players Spurs supporters should keep an eye out for.