Report: Spurs battling two Champions League clubs for 21-year-old defender

Football Insider have claimed that Tottenham Hotspur will have to see off competition from both Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen to sign Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori this summer.

Calafiori has had a terrific debut season in Serie A since his switch from Basel last summer and it has been widely reported over the past couple of weeks that Spurs are battling Juventus for the player’s signature (Tuttosport).

It now turns out that a third club have also entered the race for the centre-back – Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Fabio Paratici
Photo Credit: Hayters

Paratici leading the chase for Riccardo Calafiori

Football Insider say Ange Postecoglou wants to add more depth to his backline and has identified Calafiori as a target.

The report claims that it is Tottenham’s former director of football, Fabio Paratici, who is leading the club’s pursuit of the 21-year-old, with the 51-year-old trying to use his connections in the Italian market to push through a deal for the youngster.

However, the major stumbling block Spurs will have to overcome is the competition from Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen, with both clubs being able to offer Champions League football to Calafiori.

Spurs Web Opinion

Calafiori would tick a number of boxes for Spurs, given his age and the fact that he can play at both centre-back and left-back. If Tottenham are planning to offload Ben Davies this summer, the Italian would be the perfect replacement.

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