Report: Club to offer Spurs-linked £45.5m ace new deal, currently only on £21,000-a-week

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A player linked with Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur is reportedly in line for a new contract at his current club, according to Tuttomercatoweb.

Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha has been particularly impressive for his side this season, keeping nine clean sheets and conceding 23 goals in 26 Serie A appearances (Transfermarkt).

Since joining the Rome side as a youngster in 2012, Strakosha has worked his way into the first team following a two-year period with the Lazio Primavera and a loan spell in Serie B with Salernitana.

The Albania international was linked with a £35million move to Tottenham last summer, according to The Sun, while Calciomercato claimed Lazio wouldn’t sell for less than €50million (£45.5million).

Nothing came of it in the end, but with Spurs first-choice Hugo Lloris making some notable errors recently, Jose Mourinho’s side could once again turn their attention towards a new stopper.

According to Il Tempo (print edition, page 30, 13 March 2020), Tottenham are among the clubs keen on signing Strakosha in the summer transfer window.

Tottenham’s Premier League rivals Everton and Leicester City are also believed to be interested in the 24-year-old goalkeeper, who is contracted to Lazio until the summer of 2022.

However, Lazio aren’t in the mood to cash in on their asset, who they feel is “underestimated”, and according to Tuttomercatoweb, they are drawing up a new contract with much-improved terms on his current €1.2million per year (€23,000-a-week, or around £21,000-a-week) deal.

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Strakosha has certainly been impressive for Lazio, with plenty of top notch performances and very few errors, and it’s understandable that the Biancocelesti want to tie him down to a new deal rather than cashing in.

Perhaps it’s a little surprising that there hasn’t been more of an effort from potential suitors in moving for the Albania ace’s services, particularly because the Tuttomercatoweb piece notes that Lazio have never declared him “unrelinquishable”.

Given Spurs could potentially look to bring in a new goalkeeper as strong competition for Lloris, a young, talented and proven player with a contract of £21,000 a week means they should pull out all the stops – and given the finance levels in the Premier League in theory could offer much more than Lazio contract-wise.