Top 97% for dribbling: Spurs set to make £30m bid for "incredible" star

Tottenham Hotspur are now expected to make a £30m bid for an “incredible” Premier League defender, with Ange Postecoglou keen to bring in competition for places at the back, according to a report.

Tottenham keen on a defender

Postecoglou bolstered his defensive options during the January transfer window, signing Kevin Danso amid Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven’s injury struggles, and the manager is keen to bring in additional reinforcements this summer.

Genoa’s Koni de Winter is the latest centre-back to be linked with a move to north London, with Tottenham asking for information about the 22-year-old, who is attracting widespread interest from the Premier League after an impressive campaign.

A bid is also being prepared for AFC Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen, with the north Londoners expected to make a move imminently, but there is likely to be competition for the Spaniard’s signature, amid interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.

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It is clear signing a new centre-back is on the agenda this summer, and there are now indications Postecoglou could also be keen to strengthen his options at full-back.

According to a report from The Boy Hotspur, Tottenham are now expected to make a €35m (£30m) bid for Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, having recently stepped up their pursuit.

Ait-Nouri is one of Spurs’ primary targets, with Postecoglou keen to bring in competition for places at left-back ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, at which point Sergio Reguilon will have departed.

However, there is a feeling Wolves could hold out for as much as €60m (£51m), so the two clubs may be some way apart in their valuation of the defender.

There may also be competition for the left-back’s signature from elsewhere, with the whole of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ placing him on their list of targets.

“Incredible” Ait-Nouri emerging as star player for Wolves

Wolves have struggled for large parts of the ongoing campaign, but they have now moved nine points clear of the bottom three, in large part due to Matheus Cunha’s form in front of goal, but Ait-Nouri has also played a crucial role.

With an average WhoScored match rating of 6.85, the Algerian is ranked as the second-best performing player in the squad, while also impressing on a number of key attacking and defensive metrics over the past year.

While primarily a left-back, the 23-year-old is also capable of playing further forward, and he has received praise for his versatility from former manager Gary O’Neil.

“I’m enjoying working with Rayan, I think he’s an incredible talent, a great guy and he brings a real enthusiasm and life to the place. We can use him anywhere so, unfortunately, at the moment we have to because we don’t have many others.”

The report makes it clear Postecoglou is happy with Destiny Udogie’s performances, but Ait-Nouri has proven he could provide fantastic competition at left-back, so it is promising news that Spurs are pursuing a deal.