Report: Tottenham in negotiations with Inter for Milan Skriniar

Believe it or not, Tottenham Hotspur are not done in the transfer market, with plenty of reports and rumors suggesting that Spurs are still looking at adding another central defender and a backup striker. The latest rumors surround the former, with Alasdair Gold of football.london reporting that the club is now in negotiations with Inter Milan for the transfer of CB Milan Skriniar.

Skriniar, a 25-year old Slovakian international, is one of the better CBs available this summer, and is an experienced defender who played a bunch under Antonio Conte. He started to get left out of Conte’s lineups after football resumed in June, and has been linked away from the club all summer. Gold notes that he’s been a long-time target for Tottenham and is a preferred player by Jose Mourinho.

But he won’t come cheap! Reports are that Inter are asking “north of £50m”, which is both a lot of money and also makes you wonder, if Spurs are willing to spend now after the moves they’ve already made this summer, where all this money is suddenly coming from. Another potential option is a loan deal with a purchase obligation, and that may be the route that Spurs are traveling.

Spurs really could use another quality CB. Toby Alderweireld isn’t getting any younger and lately has been stuck on the bench by Mourinho, preferring instead Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier. Japhet Tanganga will likely be a rotation player when he recovers from injury, and Juan Foyth looks destined for the exit door. Skriniar would be a solid improvement over any of them, barring probably Toby.

In the same report, Gold also dashes the hopes of those who think that the club might go back in for Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik, suggesting that the club is no longer interested in him at the price that is being offered.