Napoli have an agreement in place with Lille for defender Gabriel Magalhães and have agreed on a contract with the player too, but Tottenham have ‘recently interfered’ with the player.
The Brazilian defender is hot property this summer, with his performances for the French side having earned him admirers around Europe.
There is particular interest in the Premier League, especially from Tottenham, who need to reinvent their defence this summer as Jan Vertonghen looks set to leave.
Magalhães is a player they have reportedly identified as an ideal replacement although there has been no suggestion that they have made a move as yet.
If they do want him, it seems they will have to move quickly as Foot Mercato report that Napoli have an agreement in place with both Lille and the player.
They have negotiated a €22m plus bonuses deal, with the 22-year-old accepting a five-year deal worth €2m a season.
However, the deal is not ‘set in stone yet’ because Lille see no reason to sign the contract or finalise the move just yet as the transfer window is likely to be moved by FIFA.
Delaying allows them time to ‘listen to further offers’, and there is a belief that Tottenham could be one of those to make it.
It’s stated that they have ‘recently interfered’ in the hunt for Magalhães to ‘try their luck’ for him. However, it seems unlikely they’ll want to get into a bidding war for him.
It’s been well established that Spurs are not a club with infinite resources, they certainly aren’t regular big spenders in transfer windows, and the Coronavirus outbreak has already struck their finances.
Indeed, that has already seen them take out a loan to cover costs, with none of that money going to transfer funds, and so it seems unlikely they would allow themselves to be drawn into a fight for Magalhães.
