Tottenham Hotspur could sign Eintracht Frankfurt winger Daichi Kamada on a pre-contract to join for free in the summer, according to pundit and writer John Wenham.
The Japan international has been impressive for his club, scoring 12 and assisting four in 22 games this season, and is out of contract in the summer.
The winger is valued at €20m (£17.2m) by the CIES Football Observatory, and should Spurs bid in January, he could cost a similar fee.
However, with his contract set to run down, Fabio Paratici could pull off a masterstroke by securing his signature early by signing him to a pre-contract in the new year ahead of a move to north London in the summer.
Speaking to Football Insider, Wenham claimed that this move could save Spurs a significant amount of money.
He said: “Tottenham have had the opportunity to watch him twice this season and he scored against us in one of those Champions League games.
“Clearly, we liked what we saw. He’s a bright midfielder, a good age, has lots of experience and he would be coming in on a free. It’s a bit like the links to Marcus Thuram.
“It’s a signing I could see Tottenham making in that we get him on a free and save £18m or £20m before he even comes through the door.
“I can see us looking at that deal.
“So that’s one we’ll have to keep an eye on.”
TIF Thoughts on Kamada and Spurs…
The 26-year-old is a highly talented player and has proven himself at the top level, with 14 goals in 29 Champions League and Europa League games, including strikes against Spurs and Arsenal over the years.
There will be no shortage of interest in the player, but if Paratici moves quickly, we think it would be a fantastic signing for depth and attacking quality ahead of next season.
However, if Spurs want to strengthen immediately, then they may need to pay a hefty amount for the player to come six months early or look elsewhere, and this will come down to whether Antonio Conte wants to reinforce his attack right now or is happy to wait.
And with Spurs only just inside the top four at present, it does seem it would be a big gamble either way.