Spurs eyeing deal for "lovely" £30m gem who lacks "nothing", he can be their Tielemans - opinion

An update has emerged regarding Tottenham‘s interest in Rodrigo De Paul in the summer transfer window…

Tutto Mercato Web journalist Giacomo Iacobellis has claimed that Spurs are one of the clubs eyeing a swoop to sign the Argentina international ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He tweeted: “Rodrigo #DePaul in recent weeks rejected several offers because he wants to stay in the #Atleti #AtleticoMadrid. He also received calls from #Fiorentina and #Tottenham.”

The Spanish outfit paid Udinese a reported fee of €35m (£30m) to sign him last year, although it remains to be seen how much they would want for him now.

Tottenham have been linked with Leicester’s Youri Tielemans this summer, and they can now land their own version of the Belgian gem with a deal for De Paul.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle have also been touted with interest in the 25-year-old, and Fabio Paratici can avoid a bidding war with a host of Premier League rivals by convincing the Atletico Madrid magician to change his mind.

If the Italian can tempt him into making the switch to England, then the 28-year-old would be an excellent addition to Antonio Conte’s squad in the number eight role.

FBRef lists De Paul and Tielemans as similar players based on their statistics over the last 365 days, which suggests that their playing styles are not a million miles apart from one another.

The former ranks in the 87th percentile or higher in progressive passes, progressive carries, shot-creating actions, xA, and non-penalty xG + xA per 90 in Europe’s top five leagues in his position., Meanwhile, Tielemans ranks in the 85th percentile or higher in all of those categories apart from carries.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig once described De Paul as a “lovely player“,