Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly targeting Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar over a summer move.
According to Fichajes, Tottenham have drawn out a five-man shortlist for the upcoming summer transfer window. The north London club are desperate to keep hold of both manager Antonio Conte and star striker Harry Kane beyond this season and are thus preparing themselves for a major overhaul.
And Milan Skriniar, who formed an integral part of Conte’s 2020/21 Serie A winning Inter Milan side, is one of Spurs’ top five targets. Over the past couple of seasons, the central defender has been on the radar of multiple Premier League clubs and could be a player of interest again in the upcoming window.
The 27-year-old started his footballing career at Slovakian club MSK Zilina. He moved to Italy with Sampdoria in 2016 as a 21-year-old but spent just a season with them before the Nerazzurri came calling. He joined Inter in a €34 million move in 2017 and has been with them since.
Skriniar did not take long to carve a place for himself in the Inter backline, playing all 38 league matches in his first season with the club. He has since been a mainstay in the first team, and his highest point with the club came in the 2020/21 season.
Under Conte, Inter dethroned Juventus, who had enjoyed a nine-year stint at the helm of the Italian top-flight, to win the Serie A. But the club’s financial struggles meant they could not keep hold of Conte and their biggest star Romelu Lukaku. With the Italian tactician now on the Tottenham hot seat, he reportedly wishes to reunite with Skriniar.
The Slovakian international will enter the final season of his contract with Inter after this season, and the club are stepping up negotiations to tie him to a longer deal. Skriniar is currently being linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham, and thus Inter would want to get done with the contract negotiations soon.
Tottenham have been found wanting in defence for the majority of this season. Cristian Romero and Eric Dier have performed well, but the other centre-backs have not been consistent enough, which explains Conte’s search for a new central defender. Furthermore, with Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga likely to leave in the summer, there is a matter of squad depth as well.
Skriniar is a player that the Italian tactician knows well and a reunion could very well be on the cards at Tottenham. The other four stars on Spurs’ wishlist are Jason Denayer, Boubacar Kamara, Memphis Depay and Jonathan David. It remains to be seen how many of these players Tottenham manage to land in the summer.
