Tottenham Hotspur are now eyeing another quick centre-back this summer as Ange Postecoglou looks to beef up his options.
European football will be returning to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next season after Ange Postecoglou‘s side secured themselves a spot in the Europa League.
With that will come a much busier schedule for Tottenham who have had it fairly straightforward this term – barring some late date changes towards the backend of the campaign.
The Spurs boss has already admitted that he will be looking to add another centre-back to his squad this summer after seeing Eric Dier leave for Bayern Munich.
Strength in depth is going to be crucial for Tottenham’s success next season and having a like-for-like replacement to Micky van de Ven is something that may be of serious interest to Spurs.
Tottenham eyeing £60m centre-back as Ange Postecoglou looks to bolster
It has been said plenty of times over the last two decades, but next season’s Europa League is going to present Tottenham with a massive opportunity to get their hands on a European trophy.
But if they are to compete on all fronts, Spurs are going to have to bring more quality into their squad this summer.
When Van de Ven went down through injury – albeit before Radu Dragusin was signed – Spurs were undone due to their lack of depth.
With the Dutchman’s injury concerns in mind, Postecoglou is wanting a quality fourth-choice centre-back who could play a crucial role next season with a much busier schedule for Spurs.
According to BILD, Spurs are one of the clubs who are showing an interest in RB Leipzig centre-back Mohamed Simakan ahead of the summer.
Spurs are not the only Premier League side on the scene with Newcastle United also credited with an interest in the 24-year-old.
But any move for the centre-back will not come cheap with Leipzig holding a whopping €70m (£60m) release clause.
Mohamed Simakan could provide similar pace as Micky van de Ven
Over the final games of the campaign, Dragusin showed his worth when he partnered Cristian Romero with Van de Ven pushed out to left-back.
Although the Romanian provided solid cover, he was by no means a like-for-like with Van de Ven as he simply does not have that level of speed about him.
However, Simakan could offer very similar pace at the back which would allow Spurs to play the same style of defensive line even without Van de Ven.
Statistics via Speedsdb.
At £60m it would be a huge ask to see Daniel Levy put that type of money forward for a player who is unlikely to start.
But he is certainly a player who would provide excellent cover for Van de Ven at the back.