Report: Paratici opens Tottenham talks to sign 'scary' £183k-per-week star once worth £130m

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension transfer chief Fabio Paratici, have opened talks to sign a ‘scary’ player for manager Antonio Conte, according to reports.

As reliably reported, a central defender is high on Conte’s list of priorities this summer window with the two top targets appearing to be RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and Inter Milan sensation Alessandro Bastoni (The Athletic).

The latter man in particular is heavily linked with a move to north London and the Premier League with much being made over whether he could be Tottenham’s next summer signing.

If Spurs can’t get their man, Paratici and co may have to turn to other options, with Sport now claiming there has been an interesting development involving Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly.

According to their information, Spurs and by extension their sporting director have ‘turned to’ the entourage of Serie A’s colossal centre-back to ‘start talks’.

Chelsea and Juventus have also made contact with Koulibaly’s representatives, but according to this report, the Senegal star favours a move to Barcelona.

The £183,000-per-week star, labelled ‘scary’ by Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti, certainly holds no shortage of quality.

As per WhoScored, Koulibaly averaged more clearances per 90 than any of his teammates in the Italian top flight over 2021/2022 whilst finishing the season as Napoli’s fourth-best performer in terms of average match rating.

Once valued at a whopping £130 million release clause, if his club wish to make any money, they may have to sell for considerably less this summer as Koulibaly enters the final year of his deal.

Taking all of this into account, a deal for the 30-year-old may actually be worth pursuing given Conte’s love for experienced and proven players.