Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly in a battle with Manchester United over a deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Odilon Kossounou this summer, as per the Spanish outlet Fichajes.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a stellar campaign this term as having helped his side win the Bundesliga title as invincible, he has also guided his team to reach the final of the Europa League and DFB Pokal. In addition, the Ivory Coast international played a key role in helping his country win the AFCON earlier this year.
So, it seems having showcased his qualities for club and country this season, Kossounou has started to attract a lot of attention from several big clubs around Europe with Tottenham and Man Utd among those to have registered their interest.
According to the report by Fichajes, Tottenham are interested in signing a new centre-back this summer and have ‘set their sights’ on the 23-year-old.
However, the report claims that Bayer Leverkusen are in a strong position to demand a big fee to let their star man leave as he still has two years left in his current contract. So, Spurs will have to splash a sizable amount of money to purchase the African – who is valued at around £30m by Transfermarkt.
Battle
Fichajes also states that Man Utd have also shown a ‘significant’ interest in signing Kossounou and they are currently one of the clubs leading the race to get this deal done. So, the Lilywhites might find it extremely difficult to sign their key target to reinforce the backline.
However, the Spanish outlet says that apart from Man Utd and Tottenham, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have also expressed their intentions to sign him this summer.
The Leverkusen star, standing at 6ft 3in tall, is centre-back by traits but can also play in the right-back role. He is quick, strong, good in the air, comfortable playing out from the back and also efficient in defensive contributions.
So, he could be a shrewd signing for Man Utd or Tottenham if either club purchase him. It is going to be interesting to see whether the Red Devils can eventually manage to secure the African’s signature by defeating Tottenham in this race, considering they are reportedly the front-runners at the moment.
