Tottenham battling Newcastle to sign leading Serie A star as shock January transfer talked up – report | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur are set to compete with Newcastle United to sign one of Juventus’ most important players in January, with reports revealing the reason why the Italian giants could be forced to let him go.

Spurs have got off to a good start this season under new manager Thomas Frank, and an away win against Everton on Sunday could see them break into the top four.

Frank is keen to add to his squad in January and will have the full backing of the club’s hierarchy.

Reports suggest that he is keen to add to his centre-back options, despite already having Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, and Ben Davies in his ranks.

According to Italian outlet TuttoJuve, Juventus star Pierre Kalulu has been identified as a target by Spurs, and he could be an attainable target in January.

The 25-year-old French international has played every minute of Juventus‘ seven Serie A matches this season – helping his side to keep three clean sheets in the process.

Kalulu has emerged as a vital player for Juventus, but the report claims that they could be forced into a sale for financial reasons: to ‘generate significant gains.’

Juventus name price for Kalulu – but do Tottenham really need him?

TuttoJuve add that Newcastle are also interested in signing Kalulu in January.

Eddie Howe’s side have already had success with one defensive addition from the Serie A, with Malick Thiaw flourishing since his switch from AC Milan over the summer.

It’s claimed that Kalulu could be signed for around €30m (£26m / $35m), so it will be interesting to see if any bids arrive for him this winter.

However, while Tottenham are looking at defensive additions, we understand that they have bigger priorities for January.

TEAMtalk transfer insider Dean Jones has consistently reported that Spurs will look to bring in another forward.

But as we revealed on October 11, Spurs are also looking to bring in a new goalkeeper to compete with Guglielmo Vicario for a starting spot.

Tottenham may therefore decide to wait to sign a new centre-back and focus on other areas in January.

Ben Davies, 32, is likely to leave the club next summer when his contract expires, so a replacement will have to be found for him.

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk insider Jones has exclusively revealed that Tottenham are increasingly likely to sell Richarlison in January, as they look to bring in new faces in his position.

Everton are thought to be keeping tabs on their former player’s situation as they aim to strengthen up front in the next transfer window.