Aston Villa have moved to the front of the queue to land a centre-back who has emerged on Tottenham’s wishlist ahead of the summer window.
Amidst the speculation over the futures of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, it is unsurprising that we are seeing several centre-backs being linked with a move to Spurs.
Tottenham have reportedly explored moves for some Premier League defenders, who could potentially make an immediate impact if they arrive at N17.
It has now emerged that the Lilywhites have turned their attention to an experienced Spanish centre-back, but they face an uphill task in securing a deal for the player.
Aston Villa are favourites to beat Tottenham to Lazio’s Mario Gila
It has now been revealed by Fichajes that Tottenham are one of a whole host of Premier League clubs to hold an interest in Lazio star Mario Gila.
The 25-year-old has been extremely consistent in Serie A over the last few months, and Spurs are now ‘closely monitoring his situation’ in the lead-up to the transfer window.
Everton and Bournemouth are also interested in Gila, but it is Aston Villa who are currently leading the race for the centre-back.
Unai Emery has insisted that his club sign a player of the Lazio star’s profile, who is good at reading the game and at distributing the ball.
The Villa management sees strengthening their defence as their ‘absolute priority’ in the summer, and the former Real Madrid man meets ‘all the requirements’ of their head coach.
How much is Gila expected to cost?
Gila’s current deal at the Italian capital runs out in 2027, and Sports Boom claim that Lazio will not make it easy for their star man to leave.
In fact, it is revealed that Lazio have already rejected ‘astronomical offers’ for the centre-back in the past, including bids of around €35m (£30.2m) from both Chelsea and Bournemouth.
With just a year left to run on Gila’s deal, the Serie A club are expected to demand a fee of €30m (£26m) for the Spaniard this summer if they fail to tie him down to a new contract.