Napoli or Tottenham? Dragusin's agent singles out next club

According to rumors, Napoli entered the battle to acquire Radu Dragusin, the highly rated defender for Genoa. It means Tottenham‘s attempts to get him may have encountered a snag at the last minute.

Tottenham have been severely lacking in defensive reinforcements for a significant portion of the season. Cristian Romero and Micky van der Ven, Spurs’ starting defensive combination, missed significant time due to injury and suspensions.

According to reports, Van der Ven is close to making his first-team debut. Meanwhile, Romero will be sidelined for a few weeks due to his most recent injury.

The North London club was about to finalize their first January transfer deal. Now, they are suddenly up against last-minute competition from Napoli for Dragusin.

The reigning Serie A winners have increased their pursuit of the 21-year-old to strengthen their defense, according to Sky Italia.

Reports have indicated that Dragusin would be pleased to go to north London. However, the transfer is likely to be complicated due to the new interest from the Partenopei.

Napoli steps up race for Radu Dragusin

After a 30-year drought, the Italian team finally won the league last season and went on a tear in the UEFA Champions League. But they haven’t been able to replicate that success so far this year.

Napoli trail leaders Inter by 17 points in Serie A, where they now sit in ninth place. Although winning the Scudetto is no longer in the cards, they still aim for a top-four finish. Along with that, they have the UEFA Champions League’s last 16 match against Barcelona to conquer.

Walter Mazzarri is hunting for reinforcements to bolster his team and give them a fighting chance to beat the Catalan giants. Their sights are now set on the 21-year-old Romanian star, as a potential new central defender to add to their roster.

Genoa have set a price of $38 million for Dragusin, rejecting Napoli’s first offer of $14 million plus a player. On the other hand, Tottenham is currently formulating a bid worth more than $22 million.

What did Radu Dragusin’s agent say?

However, Radu Dragusin’s agent Florin Manea has denied ever having heard of any bids for his client. “Difficult to talk during negotiations. Tomorrow I will speak to Genoa and see if the club has spoken to anyone, but I haven’t spoken to anyone about the contract and transfer.

“I know there is interest in the player but officially no one has told me about an offer for Radu. We’ll see tomorrow what Genoa tells me.

“It’s difficult to say how much Radu’s price tag is worth, but I think he’s worth €20m. We must all be happy when a transfer like this is made because I think we all did a great job. He was purchased for €5m and is now worth at least €20m, so even Genoa could collect such a sum and be satisfied.”

Looking forward, he alluded to his client’s frame of mind: “Maybe he’ll leave or maybe he won’t. Anything can happen but I will stay close to him to give him all my support no matter what.

“In Genoa, he became one of the strongest and he demonstrated his value, now he has to make the step up, whether it’s Napoli or Tottenham, to prove he’s up to it and aim for clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona and aim to become the strongest defender in the world.”

PHOTOS: IMAGO.