Tottenham are interested in raiding the South American market for defensive reinforcements.
It is widely expected that this will be Cristian Romero’s final season at Tottenham Hotspur.
Romero suffered a knee injury in the 1-0 away defeat to Sunderland and has been subsequently ruled out for the rest of the campaign. It is understood that the 2022 World Cup winner has played his last game in a Spurs shirt. The Argentine is considering moving on from the North London outfit, with Barcelona a potential option.
With a big question mark remaining over Romero’s future at White Hart Lane, Tottenham have seemingly already started identifying possible centre-back targets ahead of the summer. Several recent reports have claimed that Spurs are interested in signing Sassuolo centre-back Tarik Muharemovic, whose reputation has grown in Serie A in the wake of a fine campaign.
River Plate’s Lautaro Rivero has also been on the North London club’s radar for a while now. The 22-year-old has performed admirably well for River Plate and has a chance of being picked for Argentina’s World Cup squad. He has made 20 appearances so far this season, netting a goal.
Tottenham joined by Chelsea and Manchester United in the pursuit of Lautaro Rivero
Lautaro Rivero has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the last couple of years after being catapulted into the national setup from relative obscurity. The one-cap Argentina international has a €100 million release clause in his contract, and River Plate have no immediate plans to sell their defensive asset.
Tottenham remain keen, but they could now face competition from their Premier League rivals. According to a report from GIVEMESPORT, Manchester United and Chelsea are also interested in Rivero ahead of the summer transfer window.
The defender looks destined for Europe, with Chelsea and Manchester United joining the transfer race. Both clubs are eyeing defensive reinforcements; Chelsea have been listless at the back throughout the season. They have conceded plenty of soft goals and lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup final this weekend. As for Man United, they are preparing for Champions League nights and want to beef up their squad for additional games.
Tottenham must avoid signing Rivero
There is no doubt that Rivero is a tremendous talent with a bright future, but triggering his €100 million release clause does not look feasible. Spurs would like to sign him for a reasonable amount of money, which appears difficult this summer.
In Luka Vuskovic, who is currently impressing on loan at SV Hamburger, the North Londoners do have a talented young centre-back with high potential. They are due to welcome him back this summer, and Vuskovic will be keen to get regular starting opportunities if he is persuaded to stay at the club.
Rather than spending a fortune on an unproven South American commodity, Roberto De Zerbi might view the big Vuskovic as an in-house solution to replace Romero.