Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 09:11• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 09:12

Tottenham Hotspur wants to strengthen itself soon with Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur. The pair must be taken over from Juventus, where it is not guaranteed a starting spot under Massimiliano Allegri. The arrival of Kulusevski in particular may have consequences for Ajax, as the team from Amsterdam still hopes for the arrival of Steven Bergwijn. The attacker is currently kept inboard by Antonio Conte.

Tottenham currently has plenty of choice on the flanks with Heung-min Son, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil. It doesn’t stop the North London club from looking further afield. Even before the transfer deadline expires, Conte wants to add Kulusevski to the roster. The 21-year-old attacker came over from Atalanta two years ago, after which Juventus took him over and parked him on a rental basis at Parma for the second time. His chances are limited this season with the return of Allegri.

Kulusevski made 35 appearances in Serie A in his first season in Turin, scoring 4 times. This season the counter stands at 20 games, of which only 5 times as a basic player. The attacker previously worked at Juventus with Fabio Paratici, the current manager at Tottenham. Paratici believes Kulusevski’s adventure in north London could be a success. Fabrizio Romano reports a lease deal of five million euros. If Tottenham makes it to the Champions League, the Swedish international must be definitively taken over for 35 million.

The operations in London are being closely monitored by Ajax, as the team from Amsterdam still hopes for Bergwijn’s arrival. After Tottenham already wiped out a bid of 16 million for Bergwijn earlier this month, Ajax is, according to The Athletic now plans to make an increased offer of 22 million euros. Even then there would be a difference of 3 million with Tottenham’s asking price, which is 25 million. There would be a lot of doubt within Ajax about how far the club should want to go for Bergwijn, partly because it is not certain whether the attacker will conquer a permanent base with the leader of the Eredivisie.

Sky Sport Italy reports that in addition to Kulusevski, Bentancur is also well on his way to Tottenham. The midfielder is also not assured of a permanent base place and must come over for twenty million euros plus bonuses. Aston Villa seemed to have the best papers for Bentancur for a long time, but now has to see how the Spurs run off with the Uruguayan. The arrival of Bentancur may have consequences for Sofyan Amrabat. The latter was in the picture for a long time to strengthen Tottenham’s midfield, but now sees a line through that transfer.