Forget Bastoni: Conte can land "exceptional" alternative as Spurs now eye £38m target - opinion

Gianluca Di Marzio has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move for Sven Botman this summer.

In a recent article posted on his own website, the Italian journalist revealed that, despite AC Milan being believed to be in advanced negotiations for the signing of the LOSC Lille centre-back, Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle United are all keeping a very close eye on the situation of the 22-year-old ahead of a potential move of their own in the summer transfer window.

In his piece, Di Marzio wrote: “Both Tottenham and Manchester United could contest – together with Newcastle – the profile of Sven Botman at Milan – [who is in] negotiations with the Rossoneri. Both clubs have a sizeable budget to get to the defender. Even the Rossoneri club, therefore, must carefully monitor the current situation.”

While missing out on the signing of Alessandro Bastoni will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to both Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte, considering just how impressive Botman has been for Lille in recent seasons, it is easy to see why the Spurs sporting director could be targeting the Netherlands U21 international as an alternative to the Inter Milan starlet.

Indeed, over his 25 Ligue 1 appearances in 2021/22, the £27m-rated talent was in astonishing form, helping his side keep eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.0 interceptions, 1.0 tackles, 4.5 clearances and winning 4.0 duels – at a success rate of 66% – per game.

The £18k-per-week left-footer also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring three goals and registering one assist, in addition to completing an average of 53.4 passes, 4.1 long balls and taking 0.6 shots per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Matt Spiro dubbed an