Tottenham have stolen a march on Liverpool and Manchester United after opening talks with Inter Milan over a potential deal to sign Milan Skriniar this summer, according to reports via the Mirror.
Skriniar has developed into one of the best centre-backs in Italian football since joining Inter from Sampdoria in 2017 and he was once again a key figure under Antonio Conte after making 41 appearances in all competitions last season.
The 25-year-old’s performances have caught the eye of clubs here in the Premier League with the Mirror claiming that Liverpool and Manchester United have both shown a keen interest in the defender.
Jurgen Klopp is in the market for another centre-back after Dejan Lovren joined Zenit St Petersburg and Skriniar has reportedly been earmarked as a potential replacement as Liverpool look to find the perfect partner for Virgil van Dijk.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also seemingly on the look out for another top class centre-back as he tries to bring-in an upgrade for Victor Lindelof and the Mirror carried a report last month that suggested Manchester United were ready to pay £58m to sign Skriniar.
However, it looks like Tottenham may have stolen a march on their rivals as the newspaper is citing Tuttosport as reporting that Spurs have intensified talks with Inter Milan about a possible deal for the Slovakian international.
Tuttosport suggests that Inter may be ready to cash-in on Skriniar in order to raise transfer funds and may even be open to a player swap deal involving Tanguy Ndombele – who endured a tough season in north London.
Jose Mourinho needs to sign another centre-back after Jan Vertonghen left on a free transfer this summer and it looks like the Tottenham coach has identified Skriniar as a potential replacement.
Spurs are unlikely to be able to afford to pay his valuation so using Ndombele to reduce the outlay may appeal to Mourinho as the French midfielder has struggled to establish himself since arriving from Lyon last summer.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming weeks as there is still plenty of time for the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd to step-up their interest in Skriniar but for now it looks like Tottenham are leading the chase.
