Tottenham are lining up a move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Julian Brandt, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper says that with the 23-year-old has been identified by Mauricio Pochettino as a potential successor to Christian Eriksen, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
The Daily Mail also claims that Brandt, who has scored nine goals and assisted 17 others – the most at the club – in all competitions for Leverkusen in all competitions this season, has a £21.5million release clause in his contract.
Good move for Spurs?
This would be an excellent move for Spurs. A vital part of this current Spurs team is to have a dynamic midfielder who can provide a goal threat up front, as well as lay on goals for his teammates.
Brandt has both of those qualities – and more – and for £21.5million, this will not break the bank for Spurs this summer. Furthermore, while Brandt would undoubtedly want more money in the Premier League than he earns in the German top flight, a contract for the German international is likely to keep Spurs’ wage structure intact.
Finally, at 23 years of age, we’ve seen how well Pochettino can develop players in and around that age bracket, so all in all, a fantastic deal if it comes off.
This is Futbol rating 9/10
Likely to happen?
Liverpool are also said to be keen on Brandt, according to the Daily Mail, meaning there is a chance the Champions League finalists could have a battle in the transfer market this summer too.
The big difference between Spurs and Liverpool at the moment, though, is that the former have a player linked with La Liga giants – Eriksen.
Generally, the big Spanish clubs get their way in these dealings meaning Spurs could be desperate to replace Eriksen and could offer that little bit more than Liverpool to get Brandt in.
This is Futbol rating 6/10