A club are taking drastic measures to try and keep hold of their star defender as Tottenham circle for his signature this summer.
Spurs want to sign another new centre-back after Dragusin
As confirmed by manager Ange Postecoglou in a press conference last week, one of the top items on Spurs' agenda is bringing in another centre-back.
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The Lilywhites did bring in Radu Dragusin from Genoa to the tune of £25 million, who endured a difficult full starting debut against Fulham last weekend, but Postecoglou wants more quality reinforcements in that area of the squad.
“If you’re saying, ‘Is it an area we can strengthen?’, yes it’s an area we will probably look at”, said Postecoglou on Spurs signing another centre-back.
“With all these things, it’s about trying to strengthen the group as much as anything else. If you think about when I first arrived, we had maybe six or seven centre-backs at the club. So it’s not just numbers. It’s more about the ability of those players to play the football we want and to fit in to what we’re trying to build here.
Son Heung-min
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“I think it is an area of the park we will look to strengthen, but I think we’ll look to strengthen all areas of the park come the end of the season. That is planning that’s already underway, and other people are in charge of it at the moment.
“We’re a squad that needs to develop, and we’re looking for that younger demographic. But at the same time you’re looking for guys that have played."
Spurs have been linked with some marquee options, like Everton starlet Jarrad Branthwaite, but also have their eyes on far cheaper deals.
Indeed, the likes of Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly are said to have admirers at N17, which would make plenty of sense given the Englishman's contract situation and the fact they could snap him up on a free deal later this year.
Another defender nearing the end of his contract is Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, with a report from journalist Nizaar Kinsella and The Evening Standard sharing an update on Spurs' interest this week.
Fulham readying bumper new deal to fend off Tottenham
According to their information, Fulham are ready to make Tosin one of their top earners to stop him from joining Tottenham or other suitors.
Liverpool, AC Milan and Postecoglou's side are all weighing up summer moves for the towering 6 foot 5 defender, according to Kinsella, and Fulham are willing to invest significantly in a new deal to keep him at Craven Cottage.
Tosin has been an important player for Marco Silva when fit and available, having missed the majority of early 23/24 with a groin problem. Pep Guardiola is among the 26-year-old's admirers, having previously called him a "fast" and "strong" centre-back.