Tottenham Hotspur could look to sign Manchester United midfielder James Garner, with the club looking to the future with their signings this summer.
That is according to transfer insider Dean Jones, who was speaking to This is Futbol about Spurs’ potential transfer business, going into the final weeks of the transfer window.
According to The Sun, Tottenham are joined by Leeds United and Southampton in their interest in Garner, but are not willing to meet the £14m price-tag in which Manchester United value the midfielder at.
The same report states that Erik ten Hag’s side are willing to let the 21-year-old leave this summer, despite turning down offers earlier in the window, with both Aston Villa and Newcastle United reportedly interested.
And Jones believes that with Antonio Conte’s side currently signing players “with an eye on the future”, Garner, who has been previously described as “unbelievable” by former teammate Ryan Yates, may be considered as a player that fits the bill.
“We do know they are signing some players at the moment though, with an eye on the future,” said Jones.
“So maybe he comes into that bracket.”
TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments
We believe that Garner, who has been described as ‘perfect’, would prove to be a useful signing for Conte this season, with the midfielder adding to the club’s home-grown quota, as well as being at an age where he could genuinely prove himself to be a regular-choice midfielder for the club over the coming years.
Despite only having played eight minutes worth of Premier League football, the four-time England U21 international has proved himself at Championship level, making 49 appearances for Nottingham Forest as the East Midlands side secured promotion to the Premier League, scoring four goals and providing ten assists along the way according to Transfermarkt.
The Birkenhead-born midfielder’s Championship performances last season led to him earning an average SofaScore rating of 7.26 for the campaign, which was the highest in the Nottingham Forest squad.
Therefore, we think that Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy should be reviewing their stance on Manchester United’s £14m valuation of the player, as we believe that Garner has the potential to be an excellent Premier League midfielder and would play a useful role in Conte’s squad this season.