Alderweireld’s £20m replacement may have just been given the green light to join Spurs – TBR View

Fri 2 July 2021 18:15, UK

Spurs are reportedly hoping to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu this summer.

According to , Tottenham and Bologna remain in talks over the 22-year-old defender.

And now, Tomiyasu may have just been given the green light to move after his club signed a new defender.

The Rossoblu on Friday afternoon that they had signed Kevin Bonifazi from SPAL.

The 25-year-old is a right-footed central defender, like Tomiyasu – he could well be his replacement.

With Toby Alderweireld reportedly asking to leave Spurs (), Tomiyasu could potentially go on to replace the Belgian star.

Can Spurs land Tomiyasu for less than £20m?

However, Tottenham still have some work to do before they get the deal over the line.

claimed on Thursday that Spurs had a bid rejected for Tomiyasu.

Tottenham reportedly offered around £13m (€15m) plus an extra £2.5m (€3m) in add-ons in a bid with a total value of £15.5m (€18m).

The Serie A club values Tomiyasu at around £17m (€20m), and talks remain ongoing over a deal for the defender, added the report.

Meanwhile, claims that Spurs are hopeful of securing a deal for less than £20m.

Tomiyasu has plied his trade for Bologna since 2019, when he joined from Belgium’s Sint-Truiden for a reported £6.3m.

He has made 63 appearances in red-and-blue, registering three goals and three assists.

In addition, Tomiyasu has won 23 caps for Japan and is set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Prior to joining Sint-Truiden, he came through the ranks at hometown club Avispa Fukuoka.

Like Alderweireld, Tomiyasu is a right-footed central defender who can also play at right-back.

Tomiyasu was set to take up swimming as a youngster before a chance encounter changed his trajectory.

He was playing football in the hallway of his apartment, when teacher Kanji Tsuji came over to visit his parents.

Tsuji, also general manager of an elementary school’s football set-up, was impressed with Tomiyasu’s speed and convinced him to try the game.

Recalling the meeting, he told , as quoted by : “When he dribbled, probably no one in Fukuoka had a leg to catch up with him. He was horribly fast.”