Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for the Roma defender Roger Ibanez in recent weeks.
A report from Roma Giallorossa claims that the race for the Brazilian defender has intensified and clubs like Chelsea and West Ham United are now keen on the player as well.
Apparently Roma director Tiago Pinto was in London last week for transfer talks with Spurs regarding the 24-year-old defender and he spoke to Chelsea and West Ham about the player as well.
The report however claims that Tottenham are ‘very interested’ in the player but the two clubs are nowhere close to reaching an agreement.
Apparently, Roma value the player between €30-35 million, whereas Tottenham are hoping to sign him for €20 million this summer. Roma will probably hope for a bidding war between the English clubs so that they can drive the price up.
Ibanez has been a solid option for Roma at the back and he could improve Tottenham defensively.
Tottenham will have to tighten up at the back if they want to get back into the Champions League and compete for trophies.
Ibanez could be the ideal partner for Cristian Romero next season. The 24-year-old has shown his quality in the Italian league and he certainly has the ability to succeed in English football as well.
It will be interesting to see if the two clubs can come to an agreement now. Chelsea and West Ham could use defensive reinforcements as well and Spurs will not want to engage in a bidding war with them.
