Journalist Alasdair Gold insists that Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for RB Leipzig’s Marcel Sabitzer, but their focus is to buy him in the summer window.
Tottenham have been linked with the Austrian midfielder for some time now, with reports (Sport Bild, via Sport Witness) previously claiming that he could be available for as much as €30m (£26.7m).
But speaking on the latest edition of his show, Gold said that Tottenham remain interested in his services, but they are prepared to play the waiting game, under the assumption they’ll be able to get him for a much cheaper price further down the road.
He said: “He is a player that Spurs really like. Very good player, very versatile. However, it’s just kind of not really the window to buy him. His contract comes into its final 12 months in the summer, noises from Germany suggest that Leipzig probably aren’t going to be able to tie him down to a new one.
“So really, it’s very similar to the [Pierre-Emile] Højbjerg deal. I think Spurs will very much look at that in the summer when the price just drops, plummets in that last 12 months, and suddenly, you’re buying a very good player for a very good price.”
Should Spurs sign Sabitzer in January?
Yes
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TIF Thoughts on Alasdair Gold and Spurs’ chase of Marcel Sabitzer…
Gold’s words might come across as sensible, but there is certainly an element of risk associated with going down this route. The earlier report from November claimed that Spurs were at the front of the queue for his services, but things might well have changed since then, and it could allow other teams to nip in ahead of them, or his current club can persuade him to stay on.
It’s well known that Daniel Levy is one of the toughest negotiators out there trying to get the best deal for Spurs, but this could very well be one that backfires on him if the club aren’t careful. If Spurs are that happy with him and desperate to get him on board, then they may need to make sure they’re more proactive on the deal rather than reactive and get it sorted out as soon as possible.