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International tournaments are not only a great way for players to show off their skills on the international stage, but a tried and tested method of securing a dream move. With transfer season in full swing, managers will be looking to take on new signings – and they’ll all have their eyes fixed on the top players.

With clubs desperate to pick up the players who have shined in a major international tournament, this transfer season is set to be even more hectic than most. Here’s our guide to the players who are wanting to make a move, and the clubs they’re expected to transfer to.

The England squad

Unsurprisingly, the most popular football players in the Euros tournament according to this social tracker are in the England team. Just like with the 2018 World Cup, the Three Lions overcame all odds to make it even further than the frontrunners, resulting in one of their all time best performances.

This has naturally made the team in high demand to managers worldwide. Although currently on contract at Manchester City until 2023, reports are suggesting that star striker Raheem Sterling is open to offers to leave the club.

He’s previously been linked to Real Madrid in the past, but they’re likely to be far from the only club interested. As for now, spokespeople have suggested they’d be at the front of the queue to sign the star player.

After winning the Premier League for the 2020/21 season, Manchester City were in an enviable position when it came to signing new players. Or at least they were, until manager Pep Guardiola said the top strikers were “impossible” for the club to afford.

This was in relation to the news that the club aimed to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham, and Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. However, both have come with eye watering price tags – with the £150 million demand from Spurs all but ruling out a Kane move, despite the player’s desire to be transferred.

It is widely assumed that Grealish has already signed a contract with City, despite Aston Villa’s claims that the midfielder will be returning this coming season. With two potential high profile new signings, speculation is rising about which players could be sold.

Of these, Portugal’s Bernardo Silva, who failed to make a major impression for his country during the tournament, is expected to have his future open to question. But Man City aren’t the only club planning to clear house to make way for some of the national team’s brightest talents.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are reportedly interested in Ben White, with Brighton likely to sell for a substantial fee after tying him to a new contract prior to last season.

The European heavyweights – and the clubs that can actually afford them

The impact of coronavirus has hit the finances of most clubs. Manchester City and Paris St-Germain were talked up as the two most likely to be flexible with their spending, although Pep Guardiola’s recent comments have put City’s financial flexibility in doubt.

Manchester United are expected to flash the cash this year though. There’s speculation over whether Paul Pogba will extend his contract (which expires in 2022), and he’s not the only player from the French team they’re hoping to get on board.

Raphael Varane has given the club his word that he will be making the move to Old Trafford for the upcoming season. But no contracts have been signed yet – and Real Madrid want £51 million for the star, compared to the £38 million United are planning on offering.

Portugal may have had a disappointing Euros, but for Renato Sanches, a brief spell on the pitch was described as further career rehabilitation following a rough few years after rising to fame in the triumphant 2016 squad. His record signing at Bayern Munich, and subsequent loan to Swansea, were disastrous – but since signing with Lille, he’s recaptured his earlier powers.

Now, Liverpool are reportedly eager to bring Sanches back to Britain, which could bring his comeback to the next level. He’s helped Lille recover against PSG, and after Liverpool’s mixed 2020-21 season, could help bring them back in Premier League contention.

Another player linked with Liverpool is Swede Alexander Isak. However, his £60 million fee means that this move isn’t necessarily a given.

Elsewhere in Merseyside, Everton are in of talks to bring over Dutch player Denzel Dumfries. The club are looking for a replacement to Seamus Coleman, although they have competition from Inter Milan.

Everton are also reportedly interested in the Czech Republic striker Patrick Schick, although they face competition from Crystal Palace. German Robin Goesens has been linked with a move to Leicester, although talks seem to have progressed to the final stages of a £30 million Barcelona move.

The upcoming season looks set to have plenty of dramatic transfers, making for a season as unpredictable as 2020.

It was a thrilling finish after all at Scarborough, thanks to the incompetence of the home side in chasing a none too difficult target. Only the fighting spirit of the two old warhorses, Darren Gough and Matthew Hoggard, with the bat saved Yorkshire from

John Ward at Scarborough30-Aug-2008Yorkshire 457 (Rudolph 146) and 170 for 9 (Lyth 52, Gough 32) drew with Kent 227 and 433 (Dexter 105, van Jaarsveld 73)
ScorecardIt was a thrilling finish after all at Scarborough, thanks to the incompetence of the home side in chasing a none too difficult target. Only the fighting spirit of the two old warhorses, Darren Gough and Matthew Hoggard, with the bat saved Yorkshire from defeat, along with the lack of consistency of Kent’s bowlers who almost had the match handed them on a plate. The match ended with the Kent fielders clustered around the last pair of Yorkshire batsmen, but their bowlers were unable to take the crucial tenth wicket that would have given them one of the most remarkable of victories, after trailing by 230 runs on the first innings.Kent carried on in the morning from their second-innings score of 273 for 5, 43 runs in the lead. The sun was shining and the crowd, though smaller than on previous days, was still approaching 2,000. It appeared to be the perfect setting for Yorkshire to wrap up the match.Rana Naved was unable to repeat his magic of the previous evening, and was no-balled several times for overstepping, but he still looked a much better bowler than he had done 18 hours earlier. For twenty minutes Yorkshire used the old ball, failed to take a wicket, and then opted for a new one. Almost immediately Geraint Jones, who had started the day briskly, was yorked by Dion Kruis for 25. Soon afterwards the other overnight batsmen, Martin van Jaarsveld, was brilliantly caught at second slip by Anthony McGrath off the same bowler, for a quiet but invaluable 73. Kent were 326 for 7, with all their specialist batsmen gone, and the match appeared to be Yorkshire’s for the taking.Then came the partnership which, though not particularly significant at first glance, in effect changed the match. It nearly never happened: with 10 to his account Ryan McLaren popped up a ball gently towards mid-on, but the diving fielder could not quite get there in time. Then he and James Tredwell played sensible cricket, scoring freely off the loose deliveries, and the bowlers were unable to separate them. The stroke of the stand was a superb flat six by Tredwell over long-on off Adil Rashid.They added a crucial 68 runs for the eighth wicket before Darren Gough brought himself on just before lunch, and did the trick, having an indecisive McLaren caught at the wicket for 35. After lunch Tredwell reached a well-merited 50 off 71 balls before, four runs later, groping forward to be caught at slip off Rashid. Amjad Khan applied the long handle briefly for 21 not out before the innings closed for 433. Naved took 4 for 86, while there were two wickets each for Hoggard and Kruis; apart from Naved’s inspired spell, the overall quality of the bowling was disappointing.Yorkshire’s target of 204 in a minimum of 51 overs, exactly four an over, was not as comfortable as they would have wished, but should not have been a serious problem in the prevailing good batting conditions. But they were in trouble from the start. Michael Vaughan looked totally out of touch with his game and a candidate for a winter off; he faced 14 balls without scoring before he was out to a low catch at second slip off Robbie Joseph. Within minutes, Andrew Gale (9) was lbw to the same bowler, trying to work a straight ball to leg, and McGrath (3) caught at slip off a ball from Khan that reared at him. Yorkshire were 25 for 3.Jacques Rudolph began in superb style, hitting Joseph for two fours in the first over he faced, while his fellow left-hander Adam Lyth also played some fluent and confident strokes, especially through the covers. Yorkshire now appeared to be well on course again, despite some rather risky running between the wickets – but with the total on 60, McLaren went round the wicket and surprised Rudolph (24) with a ball that came back and bowled him.Kent were now the side on top, believing they could win. Gerard Brophy (14) threw his wicket away with a rustic heave at Darren Steven’s first ball, skying an easy catch to mid-on, and the part-time bowler also removed Rashid (0), lunging at a ball to be caught at first slip. Despite being 102 for 6, Yorkshire were up with the required scoring rate, helped by a number of wides and no-balls.Of the major batsmen, only Lyth remained. He did his best, reaching 50 off 78 balls, but the pressure was too great for his lack of experience, and he was out for 52, flashing a catch to first slip off Joseph. This was just after the start of the final hour; 135 for 8 and, considering the lack of Yorkshire grit shown thus far, the end appeared to be inevitable.Gough and Hoggard did delay it most creditably for 45 minutes, the latter all grim defence although playing and missing frequently, while the captain swung lustily at times but with more discrimination than some of his top order. It took a fine catch by Rob Key at backward point to hold a powerful forcing stroke off Khan and remove him for a gallant 32.With five overs remaining and last man Kruis at the crease and looking shaky, Kent still could be favoured to win, but they could not quite bowl well enough to complete the job. Too many deliveries were wasted, to tell the truth, during the entire innings, although there were good spells, and had they won, they would have owed their victory more to Yorkshire’s pathetic batting rather than their own skill; in addition, their fielding at times was fallible. Keen but inconsistent must be the verdict.Had they won, they would actually have risen to the top of the championship table, which only emphasizes how even the top division is, where no county has really looked truly deserving of a championship title. But Yorkshire remain in danger, having been forced to save at the last ditch a match they should certainly have won, and unless Darren Gough can pull his ragged team together in a hurry, his illustrious career may well end with his county’s demotion.

Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden, Australia’s two key injury worries for India, are on track to take part in the four-Test series starting next month

Cricinfo staff09-Sep-2008
Ricky Ponting has returned to batting after wrist surgery © Getty Images
Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden, Australia’s two key injury worries for India, are on track to take part in the four-Test series starting next month. Ponting left the West Indies tour early to have surgery on his wrist while Hayden has been struggling with a lingering Achilles tendon problem.”Everything has been progressing exactly as we liked with Haydos,” Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen told the Herald Sun. Hayden did not appear in a game in the West Indies and the team will be hoping he recovers in time, especially if Andrew Symonds does not make the tour due to his rehabilitation after being sent home from the one-day series in Darwin.Ponting had a short bat at the pre-series camp in Brisbane last month and has continued to increase his workload. He visited Alex Kountouris, Australia’s physiotherapist, in Sydney this week.”The feedback was pretty solid, all good,” Nielsen said. “He has just started batting again as well.”Nielsen said they would wait to make a decision on Symonds’ availability for the India trip. “Until we have finalised everything with Roy (Symonds) and made those decisions, we’re probably not really willing to talk about it, to be honest,” Nielsen said. The squad will be named following Australia’s current match against India A in Hyderabad and the first Test is in Bangalore on October 9.

Marco Silva has dropped a hint on the future of Fulham centre-forward Aleksandar Mitrovic.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by West London Sport, the Fulham manager revealed that, despite the 26-year-old being heavily linked with a move away from Craven Cottage this summer, the Serbia international is very much a key part of his first team plans next season.

Indeed, a report earlier this year claimed that Jose Mourinho was keen on signing the striker for AS Roma, while Dynamo Moscow reportedly had a £16m bid for the forward turned down by the Cottagers last month.

It would appear that Silva has no intention whatsoever of letting Mitrovic leave west London ahead of the new Championship season, stating: “I think for all, for me as a manager for our football club and the fans, Mitro is a key player for us.

“He already showed that in the past, in the Championship, he has proved that as well in the Premier League.

“Last season was not the best season for him. He knows that and I know as well, but we are here to support him, to give the conditions for him to score goals – and important goals and to win football matches.

“I know his quality. I was really close to working with him before I joined Fulham, twice, and now I’m working with him.

“His work rate and his motivation to be with us – he will be a key player for us for sure.”

Music to the ears of fans

While Mitrovic did not enjoy the most prolific of seasons in 2020/21, scoring just three goals in his 27 Premier League appearances last term, the centre-forward has proven in the past that he is a formidable striker at Championship level, as Silva claims.

Indeed, in 40 Championship appearances in 2019/20, the £14.4m-rated marksman bagged a whopping 26 goals, registered two assists and created six big chances for his teammates, taking 3.8 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £63k-per-week striker earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.17, ranking him as the club’s best performer in the division as he played a starring role in the club’s promotion to the Premier League that year.

As such, with Silva undoubtedly having ambitions to repeat this feat with Fulham in their upcoming campaign, retaining the services of the 26-year-old would very much appear to provide the Portuguese manager with a huge boost to his chances of getting the Cottagers back up at the first time of asking.

If the 44-year-old’s latest comments are anything to go by, it would seem as if Mitrovic will indeed be playing his football at Craven Cottage next season rather than securing a move away, something which will surely be music to the ears of Fulham fans.

In other news: Get him gone: Silva must ruthlessly axe Fulham’s “valuable” £24k-p/w Jokanovic flop

Cricinfo previews the eighth match of the second ICL season between the Delhi Giants and the Royal Bengal Tigers

Cricinfo staff15-Oct-2008Match factsOct 16, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (14.00 GMT)
New-signing Hamish Marshall may well be Bengal’s trump card this season © ICL
Big PictureBoth teams will be keen to maintain the winning starts to the campaign and won’t want to drop points early on in the league stage. While the Royal Bengal Tigers had the easier outing last time around thrashing the Lahore Badshahs by eight wickets, the Delhi Giants were given a last-minute scare by Reetinder Sodhi’s fireworks for the Ahmedabad Rockets, though they eventually won by 13 runs.Given their sharp fielding and accurate seam bowling evident in the first match, new-signing Hamish Marshall has been a revelation for Bengal as they look to go further than the semi-finals last time around. Bengal stake holder Mithun Chakraborty said he “had no mantra for the tournament and wanted the boys to give their best”. Upul Chandana will have surely repaid the faith with his intelligent spell of leg spin last time around bagging 4 for 21, and with the likes of Lance Klusener and Andre Adams waiting in the wings, the momentum is clearly with Bengal.Delhi will look for another Man-of-the-Match performance from Paul Nixon, the Leicestershire wicketkeeper, who rejoined the ICL for a second season this month, putting his county future at risk. He hardly put a foot wrong in his 24-ball 43 against Ahmedabad. Captain Marvan Atapattu may open the batting with limited-overs specialist Dale Benkenstein, after coming in at No. 9 in the last match. Shane Bond and TP Sudhindra will look to lead the charge in the bowling department also featuring Shalabh Srivastava, Ali Murtaza and JP Yadav.Players to watchHamish Marshall: Having refused a New Zealand contract for 2007-08 so that he could pursue a career in England’s county cricket as a local player, the stylish middle-order batsman may well be the trump card for Bengal in their quest for the trophy.Lance Klusener: Contrary to his reputation as an unrefined slogger, set in stone at the 1999 World Cup, Klusener is one of the most skillful players in the game – which makes him one of the most adaptable. Bengal will be relying on the ever-threatening Klusener, who on his day, can change the course of a matchTP Sudhindra: The disciplined fast bowler can also be quite effective with the bat as shown against Chandigarh in 2007 where he made a quickfire 33. And if his 3 for 33 in the first match is anything to go by, Sudhindra may end up as one of the top performers this season.Quotes”We’re a bit stronger side than last year. The Indian players are adapting themselves to the situation well. Last year, they were a bit lost but have learned very quickly what is required of them.”

.”It’s been an excellent competition with great guys and Marvan Attapattu talked about being a family and that’s what it is when you eating and living together for a month of and a half.”

.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Marvin Johnson fits the bill for his old side, with Darren Moore bringing him in to add more experience to his squad.

Johnson was a free agent after leaving Middlesbrough at the end of his contract and officially joined Wednesday on Thursday.

The Star initially reported on the Owls’ interest in the winger last month.

Ultimately, for Palmer, 30-year-old Johnson can bring the sort of experience that Wednesday need as they aim to make a return to the Championship at the first time of asking.

“You can’t just go with young players,” the ex-Wednesday star told FFC. “You’ve got to balance the side with experienced players, so he fits the bill. 

“A player of his calibre should be able to cope with that league easily and bring experience to the young heads in there.”

The Owls have brought in a few young players this summer, including left-back Jaden Brown, so perhaps the experience of Johnson is something that they needed.

The Englishman has made over 100 appearances in the Championship, with 42 of those coming last season. On a free transfer, you can certainly see the logic behind signing him.

Former All Leeds TV presenter and JustJoe Football Show frontman Joe Wainman does not want Wolves winger Adama Traore anywhere near Elland Road.

Traore has been continuously linked with a move to Leeds this summer, with journalist Duncan Castles reporting that the Whites recently made a £30m bid for the 25-year-old.

While Traore struggled last season, not producing much in the final third, he was very impressive back in the 2019/20 campaign.

That term, Traore scored four goals and conjured up nine assists in the Premier League as Wolves went on to finish in seventh.

Going off that season, it is not hard to see why Marcelo Bielsa would want Traore at Leeds. For Wainman, though, English football’s top flight does not see enough of that Traore, who he has compared to former Leeds player Hadi Sacko.

“We used to have a player called Hadi Sacko. He was so fast, could dribble with the ball and then his final pass or his effort at goal was so poor,” Wainman told FFC. “For me, Adama Traore’s just a bigger Hadi Sacko.

“Honestly, there is a lot of fans that would like Adama Traore but, no, not for me.”

According to Castles, speaking on The Transfer Window podcast, Traore is not actually interested in joining Leeds and is holding out for a Champions League club, so it is currently looking like the Spain international will not end up at Elland Road.

Modern-day administrators will need to keep an excellent rapport with the players, according to Creagh O’Connor, the outgoing Cricket Australia chairman

Cricinfo staff24-Oct-2008
Creagh O’Connor: “It is important that we, as administrators, keep them [players] close as we make the difficult decisions needed to manage cricket” © Getty Images
Creagh O’Connor has bowed out as Cricket Australia chairman by saying the last Australian summer – with discontent in the national team over the board’s handling of issues, including the Harbhajan Singh racism row – was “the most difficult time” in his career. He has also called for administrators to maintain an excellent rapport with the players given the changing nature of the game.”Our players make a significant contribution to the health of the game and it is important that we, as administrators, keep them close as we make the difficult decisions needed to manage cricket in its fast changing and often complex times,” he said in his farewell address. “The last Australian summer was the most difficult time in my long career in cricket and the male players ended the year feeling at a distance from the managers of the Australian game.A few Australian players, including Andrew Symonds and Ricky Ponting had criticised the board earlier this year during its conflict with the IPL over protecting its sponsors. This came in the aftermath of the Australia-India Tests, where Harbhajan Singh was accused of making a racist remark to Symonds, a charge that was upheld by the match referee but subsequently overturned on appeal. Symonds’ team-mates Ponting, Michael Clarke, and Matthew Hayden were also present at the hearings, which didn’t go in their favour – critics said the Australian board backed down to appease the BCCI.O’Connor said: “I am pleased we have since come together to review how we each managed the summer’s difficult issues and have agreed where we might mutually have done better and how we might mutually do better in future.” O’Connor, who will be replaced by Jack Clarke, said the board will need to focus on cricket at the grassroots.”The big question for us nationally, and within the states and territories, continues to be about striking the right balance between what we invest in the development of the game at a community level and what we invest in our elite success,” he said. “I am not convinced we have got the balance right, and that balance varies across Australia.”Investment in development of the game seems to be the first place for cuts whenever the belt is tightened, but we need to recognise that our future is totally dependent on the next generation of Australians being as passionate about cricket as are we.””And that will not happen without active investment in the recruitment of the next generation of players, a few of whom will become stars but most of whom will become lifelong fans.”

Zimbabwe’s performances in the 5-0 series defeat against Sri Lanka have raised a number of issues, the most pressing being the role of Walter Chawaguta

Steven Price in Harare03-Dec-2008
Zimbabwe’s batting proved consistently brittle in the series against Sri Lanka, but questions surround their approach when chasing small targets © AFP
Zimbabwe’s performances in the 5-0 series defeat against Sri Lanka have raised a number of issues, the most pressing being the role of Walter Chawaguta.Chawaguta was picked as coach in August when the board decided not to renew Robin Brown’s contract. While he had some track record in Under-19 cricket and as an assistant to previous incumbents, Chawaguta’s pedigree to look after an international side was almost non-existent, and his name unknown outside the small circle of Zimbabwe cricket.Critics were quick to suggest his appointment owed more to his willingness to tow the party line on selection policy than any technical brilliance. Those suspicions were reinforced by the fact he came from Takashinga, the club with close links to Zanu-PF and one treated with great favour by those running Zimbabwe cricket. What’s more, his experience as a player was even less compelling than his coaching credentials.Although he has not had much chance to prove himself, what we have seen so far has hardly been inspirational. He has kept his bosses happy, but at a cost. “As an individual, he’s a decent person,” one close observer of the national team said. “Humility used to be a feature too, but the new-found status seem to have eroded that away. But he himself would be the first to admit, if he were to be honest, that he was not the right man for the job on his appointment.”While Chawaguta’s focus should be on the players, many fear that most decisions are out of his control. Those “influential in fast-tracking his appointment” are pulling the strings as one local journalist said, adding: “And they are quite strong forces in the context of bulldozing key decisions.”His public utterances have hardly been inspirational, largely lacking in substance and seemingly designed to ensure he avoids blame for the team’s failings. This is in complete contrast to his predecessor, Brown, who shielded his charges from much of the flak. When Zimbabwe tied with Canada in a Twenty20 game and then lost an ODI to Kenya, Chawaguta sought to concentrate on a victory over Ireland, treating it with all the importance of a victory over a far greater opponent. It showed a complete detachment from reality.Brown’s problem throughout his brief tenure was that he refused to be beholden to the wishes of an increasingly politicised board. He was privately lambasted for not picking more black players, regardless of ability, but he stood up to his critics on cricketing grounds. In the end, he paid with his job. The right team according to the bosses was more important than the best team. Enter Chawaguta.Brown’s record was hardly anything to shout about. He won once in the 12 ODIs during his year in charge; Chawaguta has already one win from his seven. But, the bare statistics hide the reality. All Brown’s opponents were Full Member countries – Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies – and the win came against West Indies. Chawaguta’s success was against Ireland, and he has also managed a loss to Kenya.Brown was pitch-side when Zimbabwe beat Australia in the World Twenty20 in September 2007, a result which gave the game a tremendous fillip, and his no-nonsense approach won over a young squad and gave them belief in themselves. Kevin Curran, his predecessor, had often seemed to abandon thoughts of winning to try to ensure the scale of the defeats were limited; Brown told his players they should win or perish trying. He persuaded them, in some cases for the first time, they were good enough to compete.In the Sri Lanka series, Chawaguta has proved unable to give his young charges the lead they desperately needed. This was best highlighted in the last ODI. When the situation was crying out for calm heads and careful batting, Zimbabwe’s top order approached the innings as if it was a rain-shortened Twenty20 game. Either Chawaguta had given orders and they had been ignored, or he had completely misread the situation. In the end, it cost them the game.Chawaguta’s lack of experience comes out when the dressing-room door is shut. One insider said: “In the national side, the system is militant. He in nature appears quiet and reserved, but can be notoriously candid behind closed doors if things are not going the team’s way. He and team manager Givemore Makoni, form a fearsome pair. The players’ response to the regime is more out of fear than respect.”There is a clear message in Chawaguta’s appointment. The cricket is of secondary importance to the back-room politicking. While that remains, the only losers will be the young players who the board is happy to select, match in, match out, to face the music. Only when that changes will there be any real hope for Zimbabwe cricket.

Tottenham Hotspur have made an approach for Cagliari midfielder Natihan Nandez, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.

The Lowdown: Spurs look to strengthen as 2021/22 gets underway

Looking to build a Spurs side capable of challenging on European and domestic fronts in 2021/22, Nuno Espirito Santo will no doubt consult all avenues in order to increase competition and depth within his squad.

Recruiting intelligently ahead of the transfer window closure in two weeks time, the Portuguese coach has made three additions so far in the form of Bryan Gil, Pierluigi Gollini and Cristian Romero [Transfermarkt].

Now, the North London outfit look set to make progress in another pursuit following recent developments.

The Latest: Tottenham make Nandez approach as Romano reveals all

Speaking to his 4.3 million followers on Twitter, the well-respected journalist claims that ‘Tottenham have approached’ Cagliari for the Uruguayan enforcer.

Nandez is on a formalised ‘list’ of potential targets for the Lilywhites, however no official bid has come to fruition as of yet.

Spurs will decide soon on whether to sign the 25-year-old or not, with a fee of around €25-30 million rumoured to be enough to secure his services.

The Verdict: Nandez would be an exciting signing for Tottenham Hotspur

Needing to fill the void left by the departed Erik Lamela in midfield, we feel Nandez would be an astute addition who would excite the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and perhaps take a similar cult hero status to the departed winger.

Performing admirably in the 2020/21 campaign, he registered five goal contributions in 34 appearances for his current employers; two goals and three assists [Transfermarkt].

His feistiness in the heart of midfield is always on show, racking up 16 yellow cards in his last 63 Serie A starts, and while he is a more defensive minded player and not a like-for-like swap with Lamela, he could bring that extra bit of bite to the side.

Furthermore, his ability to control the flow of the game in the middle of the park stood out last term, claiming five man of the match awards [WhoScored].

Once labelled as a ‘great player’ by his agent Pablo Bentacur, Spurs should look to firm up their interest with an official offer for his signature [Football Fancast].

In other news, Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a Premier League talisman. Read all about it here.