Tottenham Hotspur have been linked to a new striker this week, and that could spell serious trouble for the on-loan Benfica man, Carlos Vinicius…
What’s the word?
According to Italian newspaper La Nazione (via Sport Witness), Spurs are set to enter a transfer tussle for Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic this summer, though it is thought that the Serie A outfit are looking for between €50m (£42.5m) and €60m (£51.5m).
It’s also claimed that the north Londoners have no qualms about splashing the cash on the Serbian, with Borussia Dortmund and AS Roma courted with interest, too.
Spurs have the option to purchase Vinicius permanently for around £40m, which is a tad cheaper than what Fiorentina are asking for with Vlahovic.
Bye-bye Vinicius?
However, if Jose Mourinho is hellbent on signing the emerging 21-year-old talisman, then there’s very little the Brazilian colossus can do as it’s surely only going to affect him rather than someone like Harry Kane – an undroppable member of the first-team squad, to say the least.
The Benfica ace has found the net nine times in all competitions, playing only 839 minutes which means he is indeed averaging a goal every 93 minutes, as per Transfermarkt.
Though that hasn’t stopped him from coming in for criticism from Mourinho at times this term – following the defeat to Chelsea, the Spurs boss took fire at his inability to press whilst back in November, the Portuguese questioned his physical ability.
But what makes Vlahovic a better-suited choice? Well, perhaps it boils down to the sort of player he is, having been likened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – a player Mourinho has managed before.
“My friends used to call me Ibra because I walked with wide feet like Zlatan, but it was not to imitate the legend. It just came so naturally,” said the Fiorentina man to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia).
Vlahovic has been in fine form this season, scoring 12 times from 29 appearances in the Serie A, which sees him six joint-sixth though he possesses a better shot accuracy than Inter’s Lautaro Martinez and a better goal conversion than Ciro Immobile, via the BBC, so he’s in fantastic company.
Rank FC pundit Jack J Collins believes the 6 foot 3 powerhouse has transformed into “quite the target man” and has been a “bright spark” for La Viola.
In terms of that physicality the Spurs boss is looking for, Vlahovic (2.9 aerials won per 90) is performing better than Vinicius (2.1 aerials), so it’s easy to see why he may be keen on his signature this summer instead.
Spurs should look to launch a bid for the £26m-rated beast this summer, if he’s anything like Ibra, then he’d be absolutely perfect for Mourinho.
AND in other news, Imagine him & Hojbjerg: Levy should sanction Spurs swoop for “complete” £22.5m monster…