Tottenham are said to be looking to sign another creative midfielder to compete with James Maddison next season.
Tottenham will have to pay more than £43m to bring Inter Milan player Hakan Calhanoglu to the club next summer, according to reports.
The north London side have made an impressive start to the new Premier League season and are currently top of the table having won eight of their opening 10 matches.
Much of their recent success has been down to the signing of James Maddison, who has excelled in midfield since arriving from Leicester City in the summer.
It appears Ange Postecoglou is keen to add another top playmaker to his ranks at the end of the season, with Calhanoglou seemingly seen as the club’s main target.
Tottenham will have a good chance to sign the Turkish midfielder next summer if two main conditions are met, according to InterLive.
Spurs are said to need to qualify for the Champions League to have a chance of recruiting Calhanoglu, who has scored 4 goals in 12 matches for Inter this season.
Any potential transfer will depend on the future of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who was linked with a move away in the summer but ended up staying in north London.
If the Dane leaves and Spurs qualify for next season’s Champions League, they could “think seriously” about signing Calhanoglu at the end of the current season.
He remains under contract at San Siro until the summer of 2027 and it is said that Tottenham will have to pay at least £43.6 million to secure his services.
It remains to be seen whether such a move will finally materialize next summer, with many variables needing to be considered between now and then.
Spurs will hope Calhanoglu will have a similar impact to Maddison if he does eventually join their side, after Maddison has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best attacking midfielders.
He has recorded five assists so far this season and has been rewarded for his efforts with the league’s player of the month award for August.
Maddison’s lightning start at Tottenham was recently praised by Postecoglou: “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised, but I’m delighted with the player I’ve got.
The way he’s embraced the whole club, where he is in his life.
He really wants to be that person.
“We try to give him and the other creative players as much ball as possible so they can do the things they like.
I think this suits him perfectly.
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