Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Sonny Perkins to north London this summer.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent thread on Twitter that, following the forward’s departure from West Ham United on Friday, Fabio Paratici has now made a move for the 18-year-old, who is also a target for Leeds United.
In his tweets, the Irons insider said: “He was meant to be going to Leeds but Spurs, the club he supports, made a late move. He has a decision to make between the two now, I believe. Leeds or Spurs.”
“The next Declan Rice”
Considering just how highly-rated a prospect Perkins is, it is easy to see why Paratici would be interested in a deal to bring the England under-18 international to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.
Indeed, the £1.08m-rated talent impressed for Mark Robson’s West Ham under-23 side in 2021/22, scoring 12 goals and registering one assist over his 21 Premier League 2 appearances, while the forward also bagged four goals and provided one assist over four outings in the Under-18 Premier League last season.
These performances led to David Moyes calling up the former Leyton Orient starlet to his first-team squad on a number of occasions last term, with Perkins featuring in West Ham’s 2-0 victory over Rapid Vienna and the 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League group stage. He was also on the bench for the round of 16 win over Sevilla and the quarter-final victory against Lyon.
Furthermore, speaking about the versatile attacker – who can operate from central and attacking midfield, as well as on either wing and up front – on an episode of The West Ham Way podcast towards the end of 2021, ExWHUemployee went as far as to suggest that the teenager could go on to become the Hammers’ next Declan Rice.
He stated: “One player to pay attention to is a West Ham youngster called Sonny Perkins. This is someone I’ve spoken about on the podcast before as a talent, and he’s really beginning to stand out now at academy level, really getting rave reviews.
“Obviously, he’s performing on the international stage as well for his age, and he is one to keep an eye on. From what I’ve heard in the academy circles, he could be the next Declan Rice. So just keep your eye out for his progression within the next few years.”
As such, while Perkins may not be a signing who would make an immediate impact within Antonio Conte’s first-team squad next season, the 18-year-old – who James Marshment backed to become a “£30m player” – is undoubtedly an incredibly exciting prospect for the future.
We believe that the forward’s signing would be an extremely astute piece of business for Paratici to get over the line this summer for Spurs, especially on a free transfer.
AND in other news: Fabrizio Romano claims Spurs are now set to seal fifth summer signing “very soon”, Conte surely buzzing