Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have reportedly made ‘direct contact’ over a deal to sign Aston Villa star Jacob Ramsey, as per Caught Offside.
The Lilywhites were a free-flowing goal-scoring team under Ange Postecoglou, but their biggest struggles were to keep the opposition’s attack at bay. They netted 64 goals in the Premier League last campaign, and Chelsea scored as many as that.
However, they leaked 65 goals – only three relegated teams, and Wolverhampton Wanderers conceded more than that. Therefore, new manager Thomas Frank’s first job would be to make Tottenham a solid side.
He has already started showing signs of improvement in this regard during the pre-season, conceding three goals in five matches. They even kept a clean sheet against Arsenal.
In the meantime, the transfer window is in full flow, and Tottenham have been exploring options to strengthen the squad, having already purchased Mohammed Kudus and João Palhinha. The Portuguese has joined on a loan deal with an option to make the move permanent next year.
Tottenham also want a creative player and initially tried to buy Morgan Gibbs-White, but the deal didn’t come to fruition. Now, following James Maddison’s recent injury, they have found themselves without a specialist No.10.
Battle
Caught Offside claim that Spurs are interested in signing Ramsey and have already made ‘direct contact’ to learn about the details of signing him. Although the 24-year-old hasn’t been a regular starter in Unai Emery’s starting eleven, he is a key player in the squad.
Therefore, the Villans won’t let him leave for cheap and have slapped a £43m price tag on his head with his existing deal set to run until 2027.
Apart from Tottenham, West Ham are also in this race and have held talks over this deal. Moreover, Nottingham Forest are contemplating making a move for him.
Ramsey usually plays on the left flank in Emery’s 4-2-3-1 formation but is also comfortable in the CAM and box-to-box role. He has showcased his qualities in the Premier League at times, so he might be a shrewd acquisition for Tottenham should they purchase him.
However, the £43m price looks steep, and Tottenham would be better off exploring other options if Aston Villa stay firm on their valuation.