Kicker claim there is now a concern at Stuttgart about potentially losing Hiroki Ito after Tottenham expressed an interest in the centre-back.
Tottenham are interested in signing Hiroki Ito
Tottenham’s interest in Ito came to light last week when The Sun reported that the North London club had been impressed with the defender’s displays at the MPH Arena last season and were plotting a move for him.
The report explained that Ange Postecoglou had been aware of the player since his time in the J League with Yokohama F Marinos, with the Spurs boss now wanting to bring the Japanese international to N17.
Tottenham’s interest in Ito was subsequently backed up by Football.London’s Alasdair Gold, who claimed on Monday that the 25-year-old’s ability to cover at centre-back and left-back appeals to Spurs.
The journalist also revealed that the Stuttgart player has a release clause of around €30m (£25.3m) and that he was also attracting interest from Saudi Arabia.
Stuttgart concerned about Spurs’ interest in Ito
Kicker have now also reported on Tottenham’s interest in Ito and suggests that an approach from the Premier League side would be quite ‘tempting’ for the player.
The report says that the defender now faces a decision on his future, naming Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli as the two Saudi Pro League sides who could be ready to make lucrative offers for the Japanese star.
The publication adds that there is panic at Stuttgart after the latest approaches as the centre-back would be a ‘great loss’ for the club ahead of their Champions League campaign next season.
Spurs Web Opinion
A move for Ito would only make sense for Tottenham if the club are planning to offload Ben Davies, with the Japanese international being a very similar player to the Welshman.
If Spurs do push ahead with a move for the defender that would be a clear indication that Davies is likely to follow Emerson Royal out of the door.
Royal has been heavily linked with a move to AC Milan in recent weeks, while Davies’ lack of pace has proven to be a problem in Postecoglou’s style of play.