Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made contact to trump Liverpool and Arsenal in the race to sign Anderlecht midfielder Nathan De Cat, as per TEAMtalk.
Following Yves Bissouma’s departure as a free agent, the Lilywhites currently have Rodrigo Bentancur, João Palhinha, Conor Gallagher, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Pape Matar Sarr as options to deploy in the engine room.
However, Palhinha joined on loan from Bayern Munich last summer, and it remains to be seen whether the North London club decide to purchase him permanently.
On the other hand, Bergvall and Gray are still very young and aren’t ready to perform consistently at the highest level. Furthermore, Bentancur has had fitness problems in recent years.
As a result, Roberto De Zerbi is keen on upgrading Tottenham’s midfield, and Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali is his preferred option. However, the Magpies are likely to demand a huge fee to sell him, and Manchester City are said to be plotting a swoop for him as well.
So, it appears Tottenham are lining up potential alternative options in-case they fail to purchase Tonali. Now, TEAMtalk claim that after monitoring his development closely, Tottenham have identified De Cat as a serious option and have already held talks with Anderlecht over this deal.
The 17-year-old’s recent eye-catching performances haven’t just attracted Tottenham’s attention, as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, and VfB Stuttgart are also in this race. The Bavarian club and BVB have even made approaches.
Battle
Moreover, Manchester United have enquired about the details of sealing the deal, while Manchester City and Chelsea have stepped up background checks.
On the other hand, Aston Villa, Brighton and Hove Albion, Everton, Arsenal, Liverpool, Sporting CP, and Newcastle United are also interested in him. But the player is expected to join an elite club, with the German and English clubs currently leading the race. However, De Cat wants to play regularly, and Spurs are seen as ‘most active suitors’.
The player is set to enter the final year of his current contract, and Anderlecht might be ready to cash-in on him for a fee of around £35m this summer to avoid losing him for free.
The youngster is a deep-lying playmaker by trait but is also efficient in the box-to-box role. He is a highly talented player and could be a shrewd acquisition for Tottenham, Arsenal, or Liverpool should any of those clubs purchase him.
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