Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January

Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January

Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report.

Postecoglou’s centre-back options

The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric Dier as their four natural options at centre-back as it stands, but this season has proven that Ange Postecoglou needs to enter the market to find further reinforcements.

Both Van De Ven and Phillips are undergoing a spell on the sidelines due to injury, whilst Romero is suspended and Dier is expected to leave having fallen significantly out of favour, and the manager already appears to have highlighted a potential replacement.

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The Postecoglou era is well underway at Spurs, but how is the squad shaping up ahead of January?

Sao Paulo’s Lucas Beraldo has worked his way up through his club’s various academy ranks to get promoted to their first-team, where he’s since gone on to make a total of 49 senior appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Beraldo statistics).

Brazil’s former youth international has already been linked with Liverpool, Newcastle United and Wolves in the top-flight, but with a deal yet to come to fruition for his three potential suitors, the 20-year-old is now also wanted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs keen on deal for Lucas Beraldo

According to The Sunday Mirror (via The Boot Room), Tottenham are interested in Beraldo, but they aren’t alone in their pursuit to secure his services. Both Jurgen Klopp and Eddie Howe are still chasing their target, who is rated at £20m, and it’s believed that he is a player who will soon be leaving his league to join the highest division in England.

Spurs chiefs have the defender “on their radar”, but with Chelsea and Manchester United also hovering in the background, it will be a difficult deal to get over the line in January.

Ange could land “fearless” defender in Beraldo

Standing at 6 foot 1, Beraldo provides a real physical presence at the heart of a defensive backline, which he’s proven this season at Sao Paulo as he’s currently averaging 3.4 clearances and 1.7 aerial wins per game in the Serie A (WhoScored – Beraldo statistics).

Postecoglou’s target is also attack-minded – he ranks in the 95th percentile for progressive passes by defenders, highlighting his desire to push his team as high up the pitch as possible to give them the best opportunity to create chances (FBRef – Beraldo statistics).

Sponsored by Nike, the left-footed star has even had a taste of success having been named the 2023 Brazilian Cup winner, so he will possess a winning mentality that will match that of the current squad who are already playing their football in N17.

According to football scout Jacek Kulig, Beraldo is a “fearless” defender, and with the boss’ style of play being all about taking risks and pressing the opposition, he could be the perfect addition in the new year and someone who could slot straight into the starting line-up dependent on the other options available to the Australian.