Alasdair Gold has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur are more likely to pursue Inter Milan centre-back Stefan De Vrij in January than Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt.
Some sources have claimed over recent weeks that Antonio Conte has asked Spurs to make De Vrij the club’s top transfer target in January.
The centre-back, who was an indispensable part of Conte’s backline at Inter, is alleged to be open to the prospect of reuniting with the Italian at North London.
De Ligt is also thought to be on Tottenham’s radar in January, with CalcioMercato.it even claiming the Lilywhites are the front-runners to snap up the 22-year-old.
The Juventus defender’s agent Mino Raiola admitted last week his client is ready for ‘the next step’ in his career.
However, Gold has now suggested the links to De Vrij may purely be based on the Fabio Paratici connection and added that his compatriot, De Ligt, is a more feasible target for Spurs.
When asked about the speculation linking Tottenham to the two Netherlands internationals in a Q&A on Football.London, Gold responded: “As for De Ligt, you’re talking about the most expensive defender of all time.
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“I think the link with Spurs is purely because Fabio Paratici put together that deal unless Juventus decide to throw lots and lots of money down the drain.
“De Vrij, another with 18 months left on his contract, is more in the ballpark and he can play on the left side of a back, a position I understand the club believe they have a gap to fill to compete with Ben Davies.
“Again though, whether Inter would sell the 29-year-old Dutchman, who starts every match for them, for an affordable fee halfway through a season is a huge ask.”
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De Vrij is left-footed but he is not a natural fit for the left-centre-back role in Conte’s back three. Based on the 29-year-old’s attributes, his best role would be in the central sweeper role where Eric Dier is currently operating. So, if Conte is after a left-centre-back to upgrade on Ben Davies, De Ligt would be the much better fit.
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