According to a report in Secolo XIX (as relayed by Calciomercato), Tottenham Hotspur are now considering a move to sign Padova defender Giovanni Leoni.
Tottenham have done a lot of their shopping from the Italian market since Fabio Paratici took over as the club’s director of football three years ago.
The club are still seemingly on the lookout for the best-emerging talent from the country, with Paratici continuing to work for the club as a consultant.
It looks like the latest talent to capture the North London club’s attention is Lenoi, who had an impressive season on loan at Sampdoria in Serie B last term.
Tottenham have invested in young centre-backs over recent seasons, with Ashley Phillips and Luka Vuskovic joining in 2023 as teenagers.
Tottenham like the look of Giovanni Leoni
Secolo XIX explain that as part of the loan agreement, Sampdoria have the option to sign the 17-year-old permanently for €1.5m (£1.3m) from Padova.
The Italian club plan on activating the option to sign the teenager and want to sell him on for a profit this summer.
Tottenham, Juventus and Torino are thought to have been alerted by Leoni’s availability, with all three clubs said to be monitoring the defender’s situation closely.
Spurs Web Opinion
There is no doubt that Leoni is a Paratici target and I would not be surprised if Tottenham are considering signing him and loaning him back out to Serie B or Serie A, just like they did with Destiny Udogie and Pape Sarr in the past.
Spurs are well stacked on senior centre-backs for now, so it would be a waste to simply throw him into the U21s for the sake of it.