Speaking recently on an Oddschecker YouTube video, Fabrizio Romano provided an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar.
Despite featuring 42 times in all competitions for Inter last season, chipping in with two assists over those fixtures, it was reported earlier this year that the Serie A side would be willing to sell the £45 million-rated Skriniar over the summer transfer window, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Barcelona all said to be keen on the 25-year-old.
More recently, however, Spurs have appeared to be the club most likely to land the Slovakia international, with Romano reporting that talks had been taking place in Milan between Tottenham and Inter regarding the transfer of the defender.
However, the journalist continued by stating that there had been no agreement between the two clubs, as Inter are looking for a fee of around €60 million (£54.4 million) for the centre-back, while Spurs value the player at closer to €50 million (£45.3 million), with add-ons included.
Tottenham’s potential deal for Skriniar was one subject of conversation on a recent YouTube video posted by Oddschecker, with Romano stating that the move appears to be a difficult one for Spurs to complete, although, he does believe that there is a way they can get a deal done.
He said: “It’s not easy. It’s really not easy, because Tottenham and Inter are negotiating, but [on Wednesday] the [sporting] director of Inter said, ‘we are ready to keep Milan Skriniar.’
“[This is] because Tottenham were prepared to offer €30-35 million to sign Milan Skriniar, but what Inter said is, ‘we are not going to sell the player for €30-35 million, we want €60 million’.
“Now, [Inter] are going to consider €50 million with some add-ons to arrive [at] €60 [million].
“I am told that, [over] the weekend, [possibly] on Saturday, Tottenham and Inter will get in touch again, [they] will talk again about Skriniar, and we [will find out] if Tottenham will go [on] to make an [improved] bid [of around] €50 million [or] €45 million.
“If they don’t, I think it’s difficult [for them] to get Milan Skriniar.
“So, it’s not [such an] easy deal. Tottenham are trying, he is the first option for [Jose] Mourinho, he’s [been] in love with Skriniar since he was Manchester United manager, he always asked for Skriniar because he’s a fantastic defender, in my opinion.
“So, it’s up to Tottenham. If they bid €45-50 million, in my opinion, they can get the player. If they don’t, it will be really, really difficult.”
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TIF Thoughts…
From Romano’s comments, it is clear that the journalist is of the belief that, should Spurs up their bid for the defender, then he could well become a Tottenham player in the coming days.
However, with the transfer deadline fast approaching, it must be said that Spurs are running out of time to get a deal done for the centre-back, so this will certainly be one of the potential moves that we will be keeping a very close eye on over the remaining days of the transfer window.