Club See Tottenham Star As ‘Preferred Choice’ Over Aston Villa Man, ‘Lower Wages’ A Factor | OneFootball

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Inter Milan like Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, but their ‘preferred choice’ shot-stopper target remains Tottenham Hotspur’s Guglielmo Vicario due to his age and ‘lower wages’.

The Italian giants want to replace the highly experienced Yann Sommer, 37, this month or in the summer transfer window.

After the Serie A table-toppers lost 3-1 against Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday night at the San Siro, they stepped up their goalkeeper search.

World Cup winner Martinez’s probability of leaving Aston Villa was high in the summer window, but Inter Milan have reservations about his age, as he is 33 now.

And according to Italian journalist Alessio Lento, despite their recent contact with the Argentine’s entourage, Inter Milan still prioritise Spurs’ number 1 Vicario.

Vicario will turn 30 in October, is Inter’s ‘preferred choice’, with not just his younger age, but also his ‘lower wages’ playing into the Nerazzurri’s thinking.

However, Spurs were able to snap him up from the hands of Empoli on a deal worth around €20m, tying Vicario down on a five-year contract.

Destiny Udogie’s agent soon lauded the skill Tottenham’s recruitment team showed to see off competition for Vicario and sign him for a reasonable fee.

Vicario’s time at Spurs, though, has not gone particularly according to plan as he has come under fire multiple times for his mistakes, though boss Thomas Frank has backed him as a ‘remarkable’ individual.

In December, one former Premier League striker expressed his concern for Spurs not having another experienced option available amid Vicario’s bad patch of form.

Even though they have Antonin Kinsky in their ranks, he is the second choice, and Spurs have recently been linked with West Ham United’s Mads Hermansen regarding a potential move.

If the Nerazzurri come up with an offer for the Italian custodian in the coming days, Tottenham will have a decision to make around him.

Whether the north Londoners will start looking at more goalkeeping options this month is likely to depend on Vicario’s future at the club, despite a summer move for the Italian perhaps more likely than a winter switch.