Exciting Barcelona attacker being pushed towards Tottenham transfer but Postecoglou refusing to take ‘the bait’
Raphinha and Ilkay Gundogan of Barcelona
Tottenham have reportedly been offered the chance to sign a Barcelona attacking star in the January transfer window.
It’s no secret that Ange Postecoglou ideally wants to bring in another central defender and a new striker this month, although the former remains the main focus after injury and suspension issues so far this season.
Micky van de Ven is at least back in training after his serious hamstring injury, although it’s highly unlikely he will be risked in Friday night’s FA Cup third-round clash with Burnley.
Tottenham are hopeful, however, that they can seal a deal for another centre-back, although it looks like a proposed deal for Genoa’s Radu Dragusin is now on the rocks, with the club already having been seemingly been priced out of a move for Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo.
But in terms of adding another striker, that is proving a tougher task as clubs are rarely willing to offload regular goalscorers mid-season.
The likes of Santiago Gimenez, Dusan Vlahovic, Ivan Toney and Paulo Dybala are continually mentioned, while there have also been reports of enquiries for Bournemouth attacker Dominic Solanke.
But according to transfer insider Dean Jones, Spurs have been handed the opportunity to sign Barca forward Raphinha.
The Catalan side are reportedly keen to offload the former Leeds attacker as they look to revamp a squad that currently sits seven points behind Real Madrid in the LaLiga title race.
Tottenham take their stance over Raphinha move
However, Jones adds that Tottenham have not taken ‘the bait’ and do not want to bring the Brazil international to north London.
That is largely because Raphinha mainly operates as a winger and Spurs have plenty of them already in their ranks.
Skipper Son Heung-min has reverted to his normal role on the left after Richarlison’s return to form, while Brennan Johnson and Djen Kulusevski will battle for the starting role on the right once James Maddison is fit again.
Postecoglou can also call on the likes of Bryan Gil, plus current injured pair Manor Solomon and Ryan Sessegnon when they are available again. Ivan Perisic, however, appears certain to leave on a free transfer next summer but will not play again this season due to the ACL injury he suffered earlier in the campaign.
To that end, a move for Raphinha makes little sense really, as a central striker remains much more of a need for Tottenham as they chase a top-four spot and are still outsiders in the title mix.
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