Tottenham now planning to sign £26m defender who Fabio Paratici ‘liked a lot’

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Tottenham Hotspur have done very well over the last two transfer windows, and it sets the stage up for a superb summer of business.

Under Ange Postecoglou, Spurs have gone from a lowly eighth in the Premier League table to pushing for a Champions League place and beating the elite to signings.

During the January transfer window, Tottenham beat Bayern Munich to Radu Dragusin, while Lucas Bergvall picked Spurs over Barcelona.

Although Tottenham now have a strong defence, a new report has suggested that Spurs have set their sights on another leading Serie A defensive talent.

According to Corriere di Bologna, Tottenham are keen to sign Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori this summer, and are already putting plans in place to strike a deal.

The Italian outlet claims that Tottenham have received very positive scouting reports on the 21-year-old, and will intensify efforts to sign the defender in the summer.

Tottenham eyeing rapid £26m talent Riccardo Calafiori

Spurs have certainly struck gold in the Italian market over the past few years, and as such, it makes sense to reportedly push for another top talent.

Calafiori, like Dragusin, reportedly has a €30million (£26million) price tag. Tottenham could potentially sign another £26million-rated Serie A powerhouse in the space of a few months.

The Italy Under-21 international – who mostly plays at centre-back but can also play at left-back – has battled back from serious injury to become a Serie A rising star.

Back in 2018, Calafiori was playing for Roma, a wonderkid backed to become a Giallorossi icon like Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi.

However, a horror tackle in a UEFA Youth League encounter left him with a serious injury.

As per Goal.com, all of the ligaments in Calafiori’s joint had been ruptured along with his meniscus and articular capsule.

The youngster duly underwent surgery and set about on the road to recovery. He duly went on to make 18 senior appearances for Roma before moving to Basel in 2022.

Just a year later, Calafiori returned to Serie A with Bologna, where he has made 22 appearances to date.

Tottenham target Riccardo Calafiori boasts ‘impressive technical ability’

In terms of his style of play, here’s what Forza Italian Football wrote about the 6ft 2in ace in 2020.

‘His contribution to the attacking phase this season, be it by scoring goals or setting them up, is evidence of his impressive technical ability – good dribbling, accurate crossing and a powerful shot.

‘Off the ball, he has the power, stamina and intelligence required in defence, while he has shown great personality and character in his recovery process, as well as on the pitch.’

There were links between Calafiori and Juve back in 2020, with Tuttojuve reporting that he was “liked a lot” by Fabio Paratici ahead of his switch to Tottenham.

All in all, Calafiori seems like a great shout for Tottenham. Let’s see what the summer brings on that front.