Reports from Italy suggest Tottenham Hotspur may re-ignite their interest in Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi, after courting the Ukraine international throughout the summer.
Malinovskyi enjoyed a fruitful campaign with Serie A side Atalanta last season, bagging ten goals and registering seven assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt) to catch the attention of Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite being linked with the playmaker all summer (TuttoMercatoWeb), the player remained in Italy with Atalanta. According to Fabrizio Romano, Malinovskyi was prevented from leaving the club by their president, Antonio Percassi.
The 29-year-old has not been having the best of times recently though, having been limited to just 11 appearances and contributing just one goal and one assist this season (Transfermarkt).
Malinovskyi is reportedly unhappy at his game time being restricted and is looking to leave Atalanta as soon as possible (Tutto Atalanta).
Now, according to Italian outlet Il Giorno, Spurs may be tempted to pursue a move for Malinovskyi in the January transfer window as they look to bolster their squad.
Reports from CalcioMercato recently suggested that newly-promoted Nottingham Forest are keeping tabs on the playmaker, but it appears Spurs may have already made the first move to secure his signature.
Apparently, Tottenham representatives are “already moving” on the prospective deal and have contacted Atalanta general manager Lee Congerton.
The report claims Malinovskyi is likely to cost around €15 million (£12.9) and insists Atalanta would not be keen to budge on that figure. Nevertheless, with Spurs looking to add creativity to their squad, that price tag is unlikely to deter Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy.
Spurs Web Opinion
It’s good to see Spurs getting a head start on negotiations for the January transfer window and making progress on acquiring targets. We saw in the summer how beneficial it was to get business done early and not panic buy, and we are likely to see a similar strategy employed in the next transfer window.