Tottenham and Newcastle to battle over £27m rated Roma star
Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are set to battle it out for the signature of Roma midfielder Jordan Veretout.
Reports from Roma Today indicate Veretout is open to leaving the club after falling down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho.
After an initially bright start under the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss, Veretout then found himself relegated to the bench in an increasingly marginalised role within Mourinho’s set up, with one game this season even seeing the central midfielder deployed at left-wing.
As well as the Premier League interest in him it is understood Veretout has also garnered interest from clubs within the Serie A, such as title challengers Napoli and league leaders AC Milan (once Franck Kessie leaves).
Veretout is valued at £27m by transfermarkt, and Roma will demand a similar fee for him at around €25m or £21m.
The 28-year-old typically favours a deep-lying central midfield position, but has the all-round qualities which enable him to play anywhere in centre midfield to an accomplished level.
This year is numerically his best yet in terms of creativity, with seven assists to his name in the Serie A alone, while last year was his best goalscoring season to date with 10 league goals.
Both Spurs and Newcastle could use a midfielder with his qualities, but getting him could depend on where they each finish in the Premier League this season. Relegation for The Magpies will certainly rule them out of contention while a lack of Champions League football could make Spurs a lack attractive proposition as well.
Source: Transfer Rumours – CaughtOffside