Tottenham reject signing of England int’l in January, with PSG outcast among three targeted instead
Atalanta defender Ben Godfrey
Tottenham have higher profile targets in min Tottenham have rejected the chance to sign a versatile defender despite being offered the player and his club greenlighting an exit, with a report revealing the three stars they’re targeting instead.
TEAMtalk understands Tottenham are primed to be one of the busiest clubs in the winter window. Our insider, Fraser Gillan, has been informed the board will back Ange Postecoglou whose side has been ravaged by injury this term.
Perhaps the most pressing of those positions is centre-half given the current injuries to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Ben Davies – previously a left-back – will primarily be used at centre-back by Postecoglou moving forwards, though he’s also on the sidelines with a hamstring issue.
As such, Football Insider recently brought news of Tottenham sizing up a move for Atalanta’s Ben Godfrey.
The former Everton man – who racked up two caps for England in 2021 – has been marginalised by Gian Piero Gasperini since his arrival from Goodison Park last summer.
And according to an update from Fabrizio Romano on January 2, Atalanta have greenlit Godfrey’s exit this month.
Taking to X, Romano stated: “Former Everton defender Ben Godfrey can leave Atalanta in January as he’s no longer key for their project. Discussions to follow as Godfrey is not even in squad list for the Super Cup.”
Per a report from Mail Online, Tottenham have been ‘offered’ Godfrey’s services. However, it’s then stated Spurs have turned their nose up at the player and ‘won’t be pursuing’ the 26-year-old.
Instead, three higher profile centre-backs are on Spurs’ radar…
Tottenham eyeing higher profile defenders
Mail Online listed Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Ko Itakura (Borussia Monchengladbach) and Milan Skriniar (PSG) as the trio Spurs are casting their eye over.
Branthwaite would not come cheap and there will be little appetite at Goodison Park to cash in mid-season.
Everton showed their resolve to retain their star centre-back last summer when rejecting multiple bids from Manchester United. The biggest offer was worth a total of £50m, with Everton valuing the left-footer in the £70m-£80m bracket.
Itakura, 27, was on Manchester City’s books between 2019-22, though never made an appearance for the club.
He joined Monchengladbach in a permanent deal in 2022 and quickly established himself as a regular starter in their backline.
Skriniar, meanwhile, would perhaps be the easiest to sign from a club-to-club perspective given PSG fully intend to offload the 29-year-old this month.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported in mid-December: “Randal Kolo-Muani can leave PSG in January, same situation as Milan Skriniar. Both have been left out of PSG squad and it was [manager] Luis Enrique’s decision.
“Kolo-Muani and Skriniar both expect to have doors open for exit in the next weeks.”
At 29, Skriniar would not represent a long-term option, though he would make an instant impact.
The Slovakian established himself as one of the best centre-backs in Serie A during his time with Inter Milan. He joined PSG on a free transfer in 2023, though the move hasn’t worked out as either party envisioned.
Skriniar is readily available for transfer in January, but per Mail Online, a transaction will be ‘expensive.’
A separate report from Caught Offside claimed PSG hope to collect €35m (£29m / $36m) when selling the defender. That would be a sizeable sum to pay for a player approaching 30 with little re-sale value.
Latest Tottenham news – Tomori, Grealish, Ferguson
In other news, TBR Football have listed AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori as another centre-back Tottenham are monitoring. Newcastle are also circling over the five-cap England international.
The Manchester City winger has gone more than a year without scoring for his club. Given Spurs already possess an ineffective loanee on the left wing in Timo Werner, it would come as a major shock if Grealish were signed too.
Finally, TEAMtalk can reveal Spurs are keen on making a move for Brighton striker, Evan Ferguson, who is available for transfer this month.
However, Tottenham must act fast if they’re to strike a deal after two Premier League rivals made approaches.
It’s fair to say that Godfrey’s move from Everton to Atalanta was one of the more surprising moves of the summer, but the defender may not have expected to be featuring so rarely in Italy.
Godfrey seemed like a smart pickup by the Serie A side, famed for their intelligent recruitment. As a versatile defender who can play anywhere across the backline, he seemed a solid fit for Gian Piero Gasperini’s three-man defence. But the York-born player has only made five appearances for Atalanta so far, and all of those have been as a substitute.
Later in the summer transfer window, Atalanta brought in Odilon Kossounou from Bayer Leverkusen on loan, and he has been shown more faith out of their two new defenders.
Isak Hien, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength as Gasperini’s most trusted centre-back, standing out as one of the league’s best, and with La Dea flying a
t the top of the Serie A table, why change a winning formula?
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