Tottenham are nearing an agreement to sign Wolfsburg defender Mickey van de Ven for a fee in the region of £30 million ($32.8m), sources have told ESPN.
New Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has identified the 22-year-old as a leading candidate to help solidify a Spurs defence that conceded 63 Premier League goals last season.
Sources suggest positive talks have taken place in recent days and Spurs are increasingly optimistic a deal could be reached to bring the Netherlands Under-21 international to north London.
Nothing is finalised but sources added that personal terms are not expected to be an issue if the two clubs finalise terms on a transfer.
Van de Ven can play as a centre-back or at left-back and has made 41 appearances across two seasons for Wolfsburg.
Meanwhile, Spurs are also hoping to sign Rosario Central striker Alejo Veliz, who is valued at around £13m.
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Inter rout Milan, Man United lose, Barcelona brilliant, more
The international break ended last week and European club soccer returned in style this weekend, with several big wins and shocking results to discuss. The first Milan derby of the season ended in a thumping 5-1 win for Inter over Milan, Manchester United were humbled 3-1 at home to Brighton, and Barcelona turned in perhaps their best performance of the season in thrashing Real Betis.
Elsewhere, there were talking points for Real Madrid, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Tottenham, all of whom wrapped up impressive wins.
It’s Monday, and Gab Marcotti reacts to the biggest moments in the world of football.
Fives all round: Inter make it fight straight wins over Pioli, putting five past Milan
Pragmatism is a bit of a dirty word in football because in the mouth of many pundits, it too often it means “defensive.” But that’s just poor word usage. In reality, it means being flexible, finding the best approach for a particular game and being able to execute that approach. And that’s exactly what Inter coach Simone Inzaghi does.
We’ve seen his entire side play possession, we’ve seen them press, we’ve seen them commit men forward. And we’ve seen them play like they did on Saturday against Milan in the derby: conceding the ball and hitting on the break in the most devastating way en route to a resounding 5-1 victory.
It’s true that, once again, Inter took an early lead, and this sport gets a whole heck of a lot easier when you go a goal up. But it’s also true that they looked in control throughout, even after Rafael Leão pulled one back and their lead was halved.
Let’s also give Inzaghi credit for two other things. The first is simply the reinvention of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Hakan Çalhanoğlu from attacking midfielders into all-rounders. It dates back to last season, and it’s all the more impressive because both were in the latter stages of their career. That’s not just tactics — it’s down to man management and emotional IQ as well
The other is how quickly Inter have adapted to the switch from Edin Dzeko/Romelu Lukaku to Marcus Thuram. The Frenchman may be tall and strong, but he has an entirely different skill set from the guys he replaced. And yet, his partnership with Lautaro Martínez has flourished.
As for Milan, this was a kick in the teeth after a promising start to the season. Manager Stefano Pioli is getting hammered for some of his choices and, to be fair, getting right-back Davide Calabria to step into midfield like he was some cross between João Cancelo and Dani Alves feels like a bad idea.
Is it something he feels he has to do because his deepest lying midfielder, Rade Krunic, isn’t the playmaking type? Maybe, and maybe things will improve if and when Ismaël Bennacer is fit again. Until then, if they fall behind against a team that’s defensively disciplined and looks to hit on the counter, Milan will suffer unless they get a moment of magic from their individuals (Leao, Theo Hernández, Christian Pulisic) or a set-piece. And that’s a problem.
Back to Inter. It’s too early to tell whether they can replicate last year’s achievements, and I don’t love what they did in the summer — bringing in old reserve strikers and Benjamin Pavard, for a start — but despite their financial constraints, they look competitive again. A lot of that is on Inzaghi who, once again, is proving how many people were wrong to underestimate him for so long.