Spanish champions Barcelona have told their scouts to take a close look at Tottenham Hotspur utility man Eric Dier, according to TEAMtalk.
The website claims that Barca see the 24-year-old, on a reported £65,000-per-week at Tottenham [Source: Spotrac], as the perfect man to provide depth in defence and midfield, and could make a move for him next summer.
TEAMtalk’s report states that Ernesto Valverde’s side have been targeting Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt, Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren and Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld to fill the holes in their squad.
Spurs mainstay Dier has seen his star rise recently after a terrific performance against Spain for England in the UEFA Nations League on Monday.
Good move for Tottenham?
In a word: no. Dier is just 24 years of age and is only going to get better in the coming years. If Spurs were to sell him now they would miss out on the best years of his career, at a time when they’re trying to take that next step to becoming serious Premier League title challengers. Dier hasn’t always been appreciated for his non-nonsense style of football but he is a dependable player who can operate in multiple positions at a high level. It would be crazy to allow Barca to snare him away at this stage, but Tottenham could be powerless to stop them if the Spanish giant’s interest is genuine.
This is Futbol rating: 2/10
Likely to happen?
It’s difficult to say at this stage. It all depends on how serious Barcelona are. We’ve all seen that when Barca or Real Madrid make a concerted push for a player they usually get their man. Whether that happens on this occasion just has to do with the validity of their interest in the player.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10