Dan Kilpatrick: Conte may now launch Spurs move for 'very special' £27m-rated Golden Boy nominee

Tottenham Hotspur may turn their attention to RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol as they look to strengthen the centre of their defence, according to The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick. 

Antonio Conte wants to ‘bolster his back three‘ this summer after successfully leading Spurs back into the Champions League.

It was only last summer that Leipzig paid £16.9million to sign Gvardiol from Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb.

The 20-year-old made 46 appearances in his first season at the club, starting 28 of their 34 Bundesliga matches and nine of their European games.

The £27million-rated Gvardiol, who’s also capable of operating as a left-back, is under contract at the Red Bull Arena until June 2026.

Kilpatrick writes that Spurs would like to sign Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni in a deal worth more than £50million, but they’ve encountered a significant issue.

The defender is reluctant to leave the San Siro and it will be a ‘challenge’ to convince him to move to North London.

And that ‘hesitance’ could see Spurs move onto an alternative target in the form of Gvardiol.

Gvardiol, dubbed ‘very special‘ by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is a very well-equipped modern centre-back. Consult his FBRef scouting report and you will see a player in the top ten percentiles for pass volume, progressive passes, progressive carries, dribbles and interceptions.

Given the breadth of his skill-set, it’s no surprise that he’s established so quickly both at club level and at an international level (he already has ten Croatia caps under his belt).

Last year, Gvardiol was nominated for the Golden Boy award, given to the best young player in Europe’s top five leagues. He simply looks destined to become one of the best in his position in the world.

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