Tottenham have already contacted Juventus over an audacious £80million swoop for Argentina forward Paulo Dybala.
In a shock move which would deliver a statement of intent, the beaten Champions League finalists, Spurs are ready to spend big with the aim of to delivering the silverware the club’s fans crave.
Tottenham officials have spoken to their counterparts in Turin over the 25-year-old and are ready to break their own transfer record – set earlier this summer window – to bring him to London.
Dybala is regarded as one of the best forwards in the world and his signing would be regarded as a big coup for Mauricio Pochettino side.
He has suffered from the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Juve, scoring just 10 goals last campaign, and the Italian champions are thought to be prepared to listen to offers for him.
While a successful move – which would beat the £65m agreed with Lyon for Tanguy Ndombele this month – is regarded as ambitious, Tottenham are serious about exploring the possibility of bringing Dybala to the club and setting up a fearsome partnership with Harry Kane in the process.
It can be disclosed that initial contact was made around a month ago, and the fascinating prospect remains on the radar as Daniel Levy looks to back his manager – although Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are also reported to be interested in the striker.
In February last year, before Spurs played Juve in the Champions League last-16, Pochettino hailed the forward. ‘It’s always nice to play against the best in the world,’ he said, before describing Dybala as ‘a special talent’.
‘Seeing him on the pitch is wonderful, even if he might cause you a few problems,’ he added. Juventus subsequently claimed a 2-1 victory at Wembley, clinching a 4-3 aggregate win, with Dybala scoring the winner.
Earlier this week, Spurs sold Vincent Janssen for £8m and while they have offered Fernando Llorente a new deal on reduced terms, Kane is the only recognised out-and-out striker at the club- although Lucas Moura and Heung-min Son can also step in.
When asked if 17-year-old striker Troy Parrott could fill the role of understudy to Kane, Pochettino suggested a new signing could be in the pipeline.
‘Today, yes [he could be part of the squad], tomorrow, I don’t know,’ he said. ‘We’re working with the [young] players, trying to provide the best platform and possibility for them to perform and be comfortable with the first team. He’s still so young but we’ll see what happens at the end of the transfer window. If we have the squad that we have today, of course he’s going to have the possibility to be with the first team.’
Teenage full back Ryan Sessegnon should arrive at Tottenham from Fulham, and while the future of Christian Eriksen remains unclear, there is interest in Giovani Lo Celso, although a move for the midfielder is not imminent at the moment.
