The Aston Villa striker could be brought in to replace Harry Kane.
Tottenham Hotspur could launch an offer for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins if Harry Kane leaves this summer, according to reports.
Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham?
Kane has reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Bayern Munich after his agent held talks with the German
champions, but the £60m offer made was immediately dismissed by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
The Bundesliga side are set to come back in with a bid of £70m, with the striker getting “closer and closer” to a move to
Germany, however, Levy is said to be holding out for a minimum of £86m, so the two clubs are still some way apart.
Journalist Alasdair Gold has been informed that Spurs have no plans to sell their talisman this summer, but they have now
seemingly started work on contingency plans, should he force his way out of the club.
According to reports from Spain (via The Hard Tackle), Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou could launch an offer for Aston
Villa striker Watkins, amid the uncertainty surrounding Kane’s future, however, they are not the only Premier League club
interested in his services.
Manchester United and Newcastle United are also attentive to the situation surrounding the Englishman, who Unai Emery
could be willing to let leave, as long as Villa are able to find a suitable replacement. The 27-year-old’s contract is set to expire
until June 2025, meaning the Villans will be in a strong position when it comes to negotiating a transfer fee.
How many goals has Ollie Watkins scored?
The Torquay-born striker scored a very respectable 15 goals in the Premier League last season, reaching double figures in the
top flight for the third season on the spin, so it is no wonder some top clubs are now queuing up for his signature, with the
player even scoring twice at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Hailed as “sensational” by members of the media, the £75k-per-week forward averaged a 6.96 WhoScored rating in the top
flight during the 2022-23 campaign, the highest of any player in the Villa squad, having also recorded a total of six assists.
Of course, every Spurs fan is well aware that it will be a massive blow if Kane leaves this summer, with the England captain
scoring a total of 70 goals in the Premier League over the past three seasons.
Although Watkins has been very impressive for Villa, it is very unlikely he would be able to record those sorts of numbers in
a Tottenham shirt, so Levy’s main priority should be keeping hold of Kane for the foreseeable future.
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Spurs: Micky van de Ven could revive Bissouma
Tottenham Hotspur have been confirmed to have opened direct contacts with Wolfsburg for centre-back Micky van de Ven,
who is attracting Premier League attention after a stellar season in Germany.
What’s the latest on Micky van de Ven to Tottenham?
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who has exclusively revealed that the Lilywhites have commenced negotiations for the
Dutch centre-back.
Taking to Twitter, the Italian journalist said: “EXCL: Tottenham have opened direct talks with Wolfsburg for Micky van de
Ven. Dutch centre back is among top targets.
“Verbal proposal set to be submitted as van de Ven is keen on the move.”
Van de Ven is expected to be available for around €30m (£26m), which could prove to be an affordable deal as
manager Ange Postecoglou turns his attention to the backline following the £40m acquisition of playmaker James
Maddison.
Should Tottenham sign Micky van de Ven?
While Tottenham maintained flashes of brilliance last term, traces of the former cohesive unity, it was by-and-large a
discordant campaign that was underscored by a growing discontent under Antonio Conte, who was dismissed earlier this
year.
Defensively, Tottenham were inexcusably shocking, with the 63 Premier League goals conceded a tally better than just
Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and the three relegated sides.
Which is why Micky van de Ven could be such a shrewd signing; despite only being 22-years-old, the ace has been
“flourishing under Niko Kovac” for Wolfsburg of late, earning an average Sofascore rating of 6.86 in the German Bundesliga,
keeping 11 clean sheets from 33 outings, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 3.1 clearances per game.
Given his blistering pace – Van de Ven recorded a top speed of 35.87 km/h last term – and his athleticism on the pitch,
the £7k-per-week “giant” – as he has been hailed by journalist Ronan Murphy – ranks among the top 10% of centre-backs
across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90, as
per FBref.
Which leads to Yves Bissouma, who has suffered an indifferent spell at Tottenham since completing a £25m plus add-
ons transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer, starting just 11 times in the top-flight and recording an average
Sofascore rating of just 6.68.
The 26-year-old recorded successive 7.07 ratings in his final two seasons with the Seagulls, however, completing 89% of his
passes in the latter campaign and making 2.9 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 1.8 clearances per outing.
Van de Ven’s pace and progressive presence from the defensive third could finally allow Bissouma to thrive if he can capture
his former form next term.
Such a stellar defensive outlet would likely see him given more protection, allowing him to thrive from the middle of the
park, something he couldn’t do with the likes of Eric Dier and Ben Davies behind him.
Indeed, given that the Wolfsburg star maintains his defensive acumen by making a raft of clearances per game, it could
restrore the equilibrium to a Tottenham side that fell by the wayside.
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