Contact made: Spurs eyeing "extraordinary" £80m "tank", Conte can now forget Bastoni - opinion

An update has emerged on Tottenham and their interest in Josko Gvardiol in the summer transfer window… 

French journalist Nabil Djellit has claimed that Spurs have been in contact with the Bundesliga outfit to enquire about a potential deal as Antonio Conte plots a swoop for the defender.

He tweeted:

“Very good this season in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, Josko Gvardiol is targeted by Tottenham. Spurs have taken information from the German club. The 20-year-old Croatian is under contract until June 2026.”

The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke previously said that it could take “as much as £70m or £80m” to land the centre-back ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, although it remains to be seen how much Fabio Paratici is willing to sanction on a deal.

It is now time to forget about the Inter centre-back, who is set to stay in Italy after interest from Spurs, and focus on Gvardiol as the Croatian would be an equally impressive signing.

In the Serie A last season, Bastoni averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.10. He made 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game and won 60% of his duels as the 23-year-old caught the eye on a regular basis for the Italian giants.

Gvardiol, meanwhile, averaged a score of 7.10 in the Bundesliga for Leipzig. He made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game and won 58% of his individual battles, showing that he performed on a similar level to the Italian as both players were consistent, strong, defenders for their respective teams last term.

Croatia assistant Ivica Olic once dubbed him “extraordinary” and Germania Sport assistant editor Izak Ante Sucic previously heaped praise on the gem, saying: “Since he was a child, he’s been built like a tank. He can go forward, he can jump, he can tackle – he can do