In-demand Genoa defender Radu Dragusin is closing in on his heavily anticipated switch to Tottenham Hotspur after turning down Bayern Munich’s late approach.
According to the Guardian, the 21-year-old will land in London for medical checks on Wednesday before inking a long-term deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs have already agreed a €30 million deal with Genoa, featuring a €25m down payment plus ‘easily achievable add-ons,’ as they prepare to complete their second winter signing.
Tottenham unveiled former Chelsea flop Timo Werner as their latest addition yesterday after clinching a loan agreement with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
Werner’s arrival should alleviate some attacking pressure on Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski following Heung-min’s Son departure for the upcoming Asian Cup.
But Tottenham have refused to put the breaks on their recruitment campaign despite welcoming Micky van de Ven back from a long-term injury at the start of the month.
With Cristian Romero facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines and manager Ange Postecoglou lacking a reliable partner for the Dutch centre-back, Dragusin has emerged as a necessary acquisition.
Considered one of Europe’s most talented defenders, the Romania international has gone from strength to strength since swapping Juventus for Genoa in 2022.
After helping Alberto Gilardino’s side achieve Serie A promotion in 2022/23, he has maintained his impressive form in 2023/24, earning a host of admirers across the continent.
Postecoglou can finally put the annoying sense of trepidation to bed after Dragusin rebuffed Bayern’s last-ditch attempt to hijack Tottenham’s effort to lure the youngster to north London.
In return, the Australian manager was happy to send Spurs outcast Djed Spence in the opposite direction.
Although the forgotten right-back will only spend the second half of the season on loan in Liguria, Genoa can make his stay permanent for around €10m next summer.
Considering the Serie A newcomers parted with a mere €5m to sign Dragusin from Juventus only six months ago, this seems like a dream piece of business for the relegation-threatened clubs.
But the Griffins are not the only side that will reap the benefit, as the Turin giants inserted a clause in his contract that entitled them to a 20% cut of any future transfer.