On the latest episode of the Last Word on Spurs podcast, Ricky Sacks and Jamie Brown were joined by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano to discuss some of the transfer business that could occur at Tottenham Hotspur during the rest of the summer window.
One topic of discussion on the recent podcast, which was titled ‘Summer Transfer Window (Ft. Fabrizio Romano)’, was Inter defender Milan Skriniar. The Slovakian international was reportedly one of the players that the Serie A side were willing to offer in a potential swap deal for Tanguy Ndombele. As it stands though, it seems as if the North London club are keen to keep hold of the former Lyon man.
However, the centre-back’s time at Inter looks set to be cut short, with recent reports suggesting that Antonio Conte is more than willing to let the 25-year-old leave, due to him struggling in a back-three formation, so maybe a move to Spurs could still be on the cards, even without Ndombele heading in the other direction.
Here’s what Romano had to say about the former Sampdoria man on the podcast, when asked for Mourinho’s thoughts on the player:
“Yes, he likes him. He could be an opportunity. Obviously, it depends [on] the fee that Inter are going to ask [for] because I’m told that Inter [will] ask for around €50 million to sell Milan Skriniar and Tottenham would never make a bid for this kind of money. They want to offer like €30 million; they consider him a good player, but for €30 million in this summer [window], not for €50 million, so there is a big difference. That’s why I think it’s difficult to see Milan Skriniar to Tottenham, without a swap deal with Ndombele.
“For sure, Jose likes him, he was following him when he wasn’t [managing a] club. He was looking at football here in Italy. Skriniar is a fantastic defender in my opinion, he’s perfect when you play with four defenders. He had some difficulties in this last year with Inter because Antonio Conte plays with [three in] defence, so he was not so comfortable. He’s perfect if you play with two centre-backs and that’s why Jose wants him, but at the moment, the difference between the price tag made by Inter and the possible fee that Tottenham would [pay] for Skriniar is so big, so I think it’s a difficult deal.”
TIF Thoughts…
From what Romano says, it is difficult to see Skriniar joining Spurs this summer without Ndombele heading in the other direction, as Inter are currently demanding too much money for the Slovakian international.
Do you think Spurs could sign Skriniar in the future?
Yes
No
However, it seems as if Mourinho is a big fan of the 25-year-old, so perhaps he is one for Spurs fans to keep an eye on for the future.