Tottenham are eyeing a bargain move for Atalanta’s midfield maestro Ruslan Malinovskyi and ‘have already contacted’ their general manager, Lee Congerton, according to the Bergamo-based publication Il Giorno.
Malinovskyi, who is also wanted by West Ham and Nottingham Forest, is expected to cost £13 million. His contract is set to expire in less than a year and despite rumours of an extension, nothing has been confirmed yet.
The Ukrainian star was heavily linked with a move to Spurs in the summer with the player ‘desperate to join‘ them but the move fell through as the club could not reach an agreement with Atalanta.
Fabrizio Romano had updated last month that the transfer ‘could still happen‘ in January. And Spurs have indeed opened up negotiations over a January move as Conte sees him as an ideal competition for Kulusevski.
Malinovskyi is a prolific goal-scoring midfielder in Europe. In three of the last four seasons, he scored in double figures. During that time, he has also provided 42 assists.
By signing him, Conte will have addressed the one key position that they failed to address in the summer. Malinovskyi, dubbed a “extraordinary” player by Gian Piero Gasperiniis for Atalanta, is more than capable of providing the creativity that Spurs lack in the midfield, as evidenced by his 141 goal contributions during his club career. In 139 games for Atalanta alone, he has 30 goals and 27 assists.
With the three Premier League clubs keeping close tabs on the Ukrainian, the report suggests that Atalanta, ‘in the face of a reasonable offer’ will be willing to sell the player.
