Tottenham Hotspur are still interested in signing Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar and have been told how much they have to pay to land the 26-year-old. Skriniar has been one of the best defenders in Serie A over the last few seasons and helped Inter to the league title last season.
As per Gianluca Di Marzio, Spurs will have to shell out £51.5 million to sign the Slovakian international. The Italian club want a cash deal and are not interested in a swap deal. Skriniar’s current contract with the Italian club expires in 2023, with the player having signed a new deal in 2019.
The central defender has made 167 appearances for Inter Milan since signing for them in 2017 from Sampdoria.
Milan Skriniar: Worth the fuss?
Milan Skriniar was a key figure in Inter’s title win, forming a strong backline with Dutchman Stefan de Vrij and young defender Alessandro Bastoni. The Slovak is a leader at the back, who is a good organiser of the defence and is a good tackler of the ball. Skriniar follows the “defend first” approach, opting to clear balls to the stands if the situation so demands. He averaged 2.7 clearances per game last season as well as 1.5 tackles per game in Serie A.
Skriniar is a composed defender and finds himself in the right position in defence thanks to his good positioning sense. The Slovakian is also a good passer of the ball and rarely gives the ball away in the build up play. He also showcased his strong long range passing skills last season, averaging 2.6 long balls per game for Inter.
Tottenham will need to make a few changes to their squad under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The North London club’s squad could be overhauled this summer and there could be a few player exits. The most notable one could be Harry Kane, which could result in the new Spurs boss starting afresh with his team. Santo has to put emphasis on his defence as they didn’t inspire confidence last summer and in the event Kane makes an exit, Spurs will not be left wanting for cash to bolster the overall squad.
The Lilywhites will also have to make sure they don’t repeat the ‘Gareth Bale money’ fiasco where they went about buying a host of average players which ended up ruining the balance of the squad. Daniel Levy’s first priority will be to retain Kane but in case of a failed attempt, the management along with the new coach have to make sure they recruit quality players even if they cost a fair amount.
Spurs should try to sign a player like Milan Skriniar, who could transform the defence with his leadership and aggression. Milan Skriniar could take the place of Toby Alderweireld, whose stock has fallen over the last two seasons. Skriniar could lead the backline alongside a younger defender like Davinson Sanchez or even Joe Rodon, who impressed in the few opportunities he was given.
While the price tag for Skriniar may seem like it is on the higher side, there are few high-quality defenders available in the transfer market whom Spurs can sign. Skriniar could be a key player for the Spurs team for the next 5-7 years which makes the investment a wise one.