Tottenham have submitted an opening £32m bid to sign Inter Milan centre-back Milan Skriniar as Jose Mourinho looks to further strengthen his defence this summer, according to Sport Mediaset.
Mourinho has already brought-in two new defenders with right-back Matt Doherty arriving from Wolves while highly-rated left-back Sergio Reguilon was snapped-up from Real Madrid last week.
The Portuguese coach has also signed goalkeeper Joe Hart, midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and attacker Gareth Bale but it appears Mourinho has now turned his attention to buying a top class centre-back before the window closes.
Jan Vertonghen left the club after his contract expired at the end of last season so Spurs need a replacement for the Belgian international to offer competition for the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier.
Skriniar has emerged as a prime target and Sport Mediaset claims Tottenham have now tabled an opening offer worth around £32m [€35m] for the player after opening negotiations with Inter Milan over a potential deal.
The Italian outlet says Inter want at least £50m [€55m] for the 25-year-old’s signature but talks are expected to continue between the two clubs over the coming days to see if an agreement can be reached.
Sport Mediaset claims Antonio Conte has identified Fiorentina star Nikola Milenković as the man he wants to replace Skriniar if he leaves the San Siro this summer so it appears they are preparing for his departure.
We’ll have to wait and see how negotiations progress over the coming days but Skriniar would be an excellent addition to Mourinho’s squad if Tottenham were able to lure him to north London this summer.
The Slovakian international has developed into one of the best central defenders in Italian football since joining Inter from Sampdoria in 2017 and he was a key player under Conte last season having made 41 appearances in all competitions.
Skriniar stands at 6ft 1″ tall and is superb in the air while he’s also known to be comfortable on the ball and a terrific reader of the game so he would be an exciting signing if Tottenham could get a deal agreed with Inter.
