Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar, who is on the radars of Liverpool and Manchester United, is in talks with Tottenham over a summer move.
According to a report from Italian publication Tuttosport, Tottenham Hotspur are in talks to sign Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar in the ongoing transfer window. The Slovakian international is reportedly a transfer target for Spurs’ Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.
Skriniar has grown into one of the most coveted defenders in Europe since joining Inter Milan from Sampdoria in 2017. Till date, he has made 137 appearances for the Nerazzurri, 41 of which have come in the 2019/20 campaign.
However, Skriniar has just started once in Inter’s last five matches in all competitions. This has led to speculation whether he belongs in the long-term plans of manager Antonio Conte, leading to interest from a number of clubs including Liverpool and Manchester United (h/t BBC), with Tottenham now entering the fray as well.
Liverpool romped home to the Premier League title in style in 2019/20, but will need to bolster the squad in order to sustain that success over an extended period. Central defence is one area where the Reds might look to bring reinforcements, after having sold Dejan Lovren to Zenit St. Petersburg last month.
This has left Jurgen Klopp with just Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as the options at centre-back. Given Matip’s injury history, it makes sense for them to want to bring in a new defender this summer, with Skriniar a target.
Manchester United, too, are in need of defensive reinforcements, in spite of the backline performing admirably over the second half of the season. Club captain Harry Maguire has done well in his debut season, but has shown signs that he can be a prone to errors every now and then.
Victor Lindelof remains unconvincing despite having been at the club for three years. Eric Bailly’s injury record is a concern for the Red Devils, with the club reportedly considering offloading him this summer. And with Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling out of favour, a new centre-back of Skriniar’s ilk would be a good addition at Old Trafford.
However, Manchester United and Liverpool could be trumped to the signing of Skriniar by Tottenham. The North Londoners are in desperate need of a centre-back at the moment, having lost Jan Vertonghen, who has left the club following the expiry of his contract.
The likes of Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier and Juan Foyth have not been convincing either. In addition, Foyth could leave this summer, amid interest from Leeds United. So, bringing in a new centre-back is a priority for Jose Mourinho, with Skriniar emerging as a top target.
The report claims that Spurs are in negotiations with Inter over the possibility of a summer switch. The two clubs are looking at a potential swap deal involving the Slovakian for midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, who has struggled in his debut season in England following a club record transfer last summer.
With so much interest in the 25-year-old and the player not seemingly being a part of Conte’s plans, it remains to be seen if Skriniar remains an Inter Milan player come next season.
