Tottenham: £16m star will have 'head turned' at Hotspur Way

Tottenham defender Japhet Tanganga will have his head turned by Paolo Maldini, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Tanganga is wanted by AC Milan and Jones reckons the legendary defender and club technical director could persuade the 23-year-old to make the move to San Siro.

Having slipped down the pecking order under Antonio Conte, a summer exit in some capacity always looked a possibility ahead of the off-season transfer window for the versatile defender.

Earlier this month, Sky Sports reported that ‘positive talks’ had taken place over a loan move to Serie A.

Dharmesh Sheth has since claimed that further discussions are expected to take place, although Tottenham are now keen on getting Tanganga off the books permanently.

Regardless, the Sky reporter states that Tanganga, who has made just 22 league starts since breaking into the team in January 2020, is keen on making the move, which should increase his chances of getting more regular game-time.

Jones expects Tanganga, valued at £16m, will remain on AC Milan’s radar in the weeks ahead and believes Maldini’s role in the deal could prove a deciding factor in convincing him to join.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “There’s a strong chance they keep pushing for Tanganga. I’m told that Maldini is really important with this one, so he’s going to have his head turned with that.”

Steven Bergwijn has already secured his return to Holland with Ajax, while Joe Rodon had his loan move to Rennes confirmed on Monday.

Despite their respective departures, Spurs still have more outgoings to complete before the window slams shut on 1 September.

Along with Tanganga, the hierarchy in north London will still be hoping to offload several more players in the weeks ahead.

For starters, the four