Report: £13m playmaker likened to De Bruyne edging ever closer to Tottenham move
Tottenham Hotspur have been heavily linked with Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi in recent months.
A few weeks ago, Sport Mediaset reported that Spurs were in pole position for the Ukraine international.
Now, it looks as though Malinovskyi is warming to a potential Tottenham move ahead of a main competitor.
Calciomercato have written about the midfielder’s future in wake of a poor display in Atalanta’s friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Italian outlet – via Sport Witness – claims that it will be difficult for Atalanta president Antonio Percassi to get back the amount spent on Malinovskyi.
The Serie A club wanted €18m (£15.5m) for the player, but the report states it’s now ‘easier to settle’ for €15m (£13m).
Calciomercato then mentions Tottenham and Marseille as two of Malinovskyi’s suitors.
In a boost to Spurs, the playmaker is ‘increasingly distant’ from joining the French side and ‘increasingly closer’ to Tottenham.
Ticks a lot of boxes for Spurs
Malinovskyi would undoubtedly be a useful option for Antonio Conte at Tottenham.
The 29-year-old has shown he can play off either wing and as an attacking midfielder.
Fans on Twitter have compared Malinovskyi to Kevin De Bruyne, Miralem Pjanic and Bruno Fernandes.
In addition, the set-piece specialist wouldn’t break the bank for Spurs, based on his reported price tag.
While Malinovskyi may not necessarily be a marquee signing, he does tick quite a few boxes for Spurs.
In addition, the January transfer window is a bit tricky as many clubs don’t want to sell their best players mid-season.
Malinovskyi’s apparent availability means Tottenham shouldn’t find it too difficult in sealing a move.
