A twist has reportedly emerged in Tottenham’s quest to sign a new number 9 as the Premier League is seeking a deal to sign Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke.
It is no big secret that Ange Postecoglou will sign a new striker in north London before the summer transfer window closes, as the Australian admitted in a recent interview.
He said: “I think for us the most important thing is the type of striker we have. You know, we play it safe. We say things for sure from a physical point of view, from a technical point of view, that he is a striker who adapts to that mould.
“It’s still the domain of the park where we’re probably thinner when I talk about it from a team right now, so it’s clearly a precedent for us. “
Several names have been linked with moves to Tottenham so far this summer, including Ivan Toney, Jonathan David and Viktor Gyokeres Santiago Giménez.
However, TEAMtalk move feature Fraser Gillan (Fletcher) revealed on Friday that Bournemouth frontman Solanke needs a move to north London and that Ange Postecoglou’s side are hoping to get around his existing £65m clause.
The 6-foot-2 forward rebuilt his career after failing to score at Chelsea, where he played between the ages of seven and 19, and then flattering himself for cheating at Liverpool.
He made an appearance for the Blues’ first team, then scored a solitary goal in 27 games for the Reds, before signing for Bournemouth in 2019 for a whopping £19m.
Solanke took a while to settle into the Cherries, but he took his game to a whole new point last season with 19 Premier League goals (21 in total), tied with fellow England internationals Ollie Watkins and Phil Foden. In fact, Alexander Isak (21 years old) of Newcastle United, Cole Palmer (22 years old) of Chelsea and Erling Haaland (27 years old) of City have ruled the Cherries striker.
A new report from Football London journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed that Tottenham are lately feeling the need to increase their quota of homegrown players and that, coupled with Solanke’s good form, this means that a considerable value tag will most likely follow.
To facilitate a transfer, given Solanke’s £65m release clause, as Cherries owner Bill Foley has admitted, Spurs could resort to part-change offers to verify and secure Solanke’s signature this summer, with several players lately looking for a way to leave the club. and some others available on loan.
And although there is no mention of players who could be concerned about a move between clubs, Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon, Oliver Skipp, Djed Spence and Alejo Veliz are still likely to be transferred this summer.
Bournemouth are preparing for an imaginable departure of Solanke this summer and are known to have already targeted Cameron Archer from Aston Villa as a possible replacement.
As for Tottenham’s existing attacking options, Postecoglou has used Dejan Kulusevski in the center in the absence of the injured Richarlison, with captain Son Heung-min back in his left-back role.
However, seeing the Swede start the season in this role, depending on Richarlison’s form, is an ideal situation for a club that is yet to upgrade Harry Kane.
Rumours also persist about Richarlison’s long career in north London, with Saudi Arabian clubs still interested in the Brazilian.
One player who looks unlikely to head to Spurs this summer is Juventus and Italy striker Federico Chiesa.
Tottenham are very much linked to the talented striker, but it is now reported that he will leave Turin for a club that is betting on the Champions League.
Postecoglou’s men finished fifth in the Premier League last season after a poor finish to the campaign and will compete in the Europa League, however the £150,000-a-week winger is unlikely to get that incentive at the moment.