Galatasary's star defender Victor Nelsson wants to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer and they're fighting for his signature, according to reports.
Who will Spurs sign?
Manager Ange Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy are hard at work to strengthen to strengthen Spurs' ranks in time for what will be a very interesting 2023/2024 season.
The Lilywhites, after sealing moves for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, attacking midfielder James Maddison and Israel international Manor Solomon on a free transfer, are now thought to be chasing two central defender signings.
Postecoglou in particular is very excited about the prospect of linking up with Maddison, with the Australian explaining this week that he believes the former Leicester City star can be a real leader of the group.
“Really excited to get James as part of the group," said Postecoglou.
“Any manager will tell you that part of the key to being a dominant team is having multiple attacking threats and having a midfielder who can score and create goals.
“They’re not easy to come by. He’s proven himself at that level in the last few years as somebody who can do that. When you look at Tottenham the last few years, they’ve been really reliant on the front three to get their goals.
“He obviously knows a few of the lads and I think he’s in a stage of his career where it feels like he can be a leader, which is great as well because we need players who want to embrace that responsibility within this group."
The capture of Maddison is arguably Tottenham's biggest coup of the window so far, but after conceding 63 league goals last season, Spurs will also be eager to shore up what has been a leaky back line.
The north Londoners are thought to be advancing in talks to sign Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, with Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, Barcelona's Clement Lenglet and Nelsson also all in the frame.
On the latter defender, who has been repeatedly linked with a move to Tottenham, Danish news outlet Ekstra Bladet (via Sport Witness) have an update.
It is thought Spurs are fighting Wolves for the signing of Nelsson, who is believed to be keen on joining Postecoglou. However, it also believed Levy is unwilling to meet his £21 million asking price so far, even if Nelsson is apparently destined to make the move to England.
This comes after Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur recently admitted he's received "concrete" offers for the Denmark international.
How good is Victor Nelsson?
The 24-year-old has been called Galatasary's "star player" by the Turkish press, and Nelsson's defensive stats from last season certainly emphasise that point.
According to WhoScored, the centre-back won more aerial duels per 90 and made more blocks per match than any of his teammates over 2022/2023.
As well as this, Nelsson featured over more Turkish Super Lig minutes than any other Galatasary outfielder last season, highlighting his real importance to manager Okan Buruk.
While he is yet to ply his trade in an elite division like the Premier League, it is clear that £21m may well be a reasonable asking price for one of Galatasary's most prized assets.