Tottenham Hotspur face a decision over Timo Werner’s future; has the RB Leipzig loanee done enough to earn a permanent stay in North London?
That is the £15million question for Ange Postecoglou and Johan Lange this summer.
Werner came in on loan from RB Leipzig in January, offering a boost to Postecoglou’s attacking options for the second half of the season.
Werner has chipped in with two goals and three assists in 13 games and a £15million permanent option can be activated at the end of the campaign.
£15million isn’t a huge fee and Werner has shown encouraging signs down Tottenham’s left flank.
The former Chelsea man still doesn’t have that clinical streak in the final third though and Tottenham must have alternative targets in mind.
Links to Yuito Suzuki, Santiago Gimenez, Ivan Toney and Omar Marmoush suggest that Tottenham are at least looking elsewhere on the market for attacking additions.
Kevin Denkey links
One name which may not feature prominently in the minds of Tottenham fans is Kevin Denkey.
Denkey is far from a household name but has been turning heads in Belgium this season.
The 23-year-old has racked up 23 goals in 31 league games for Cercle Brugge, taking his game to another level this term.
A Togo international with seven goals in 28 caps, Denkey had scored 23 in two-and-a-half years before this season.
Formerly of Nimes in France, Denkey is now becoming a wanted man ahead of the summer transfer window.
Fussball Transfers in Germany report that Tottenham are keen on signing Denkey but face a major battle for his signature.
Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are also understood to be interested with Cercle Brugge now eyeing a major cash windfall.
It’s suggested that the Belgian side want around €20million (£17million) for Denkey, who has two years left on his contract.
READ MORE: A timeline of all Tottenham Hotspur captains in the Premier League era
Tottenham scouting claim
The links to Denkey may be a little surprising as Cercle Brugge to Tottenham is an enormous leap.
Cercle Brugge sporting director Rembert Vromant has now told Het Laatste Nieuws that Tottenham have indeed been scouting Cercle this season.
Vromant notes that the likes of Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester United have also been represented at Cercle games with Denkey understandably the main attraction.
Vromant believes that Cercle can ‘aim high’ with their demands for Denkey and has already been receiving calls from interested clubs.
“We hear who calls us for Denkey, with amounts that sound very nice. We can aim high,” said Vromant. “Listen, an average of sixteen scouts come to watch every home match. I have seen the level of those scouts rise this season. Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea, Lens, Lille, Salzburg, Leverkusen, Ajax, Aston Villa… They don’t just come for our opponent, believe me. We bring very interesting players. A young, athletic profile with a good mentality,” he added.
Denkey has dazzled this season but and his price tag is very similar to that of Werner.
It may be time for Denkey to take a step forward in his career but we would expect Tottenham to aim a little higher this summer.
A player with a proven record at a higher level than Denkey or a prospect with elite potential should be the target, even if Denkey has been outstanding this season.
We would be surprised to see him arrive at Tottenham this summer and would actually predict a Bundesliga move, just like Victor Boniface as he joined Leverkusen from Union Saint-Gilloise last summer.
READ MORE: All seven Ange Postecoglou player exits as Tottenham manager and where they are now
