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Transfers
Tottenham make call on Radu Dragusin as three giant clubs queue up to sign him in January
Serie A giants Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli are keen on bringing Radu Dragusin back to Italy though Tottenham Hotspur have little interest in selling the £26 million Romania international
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has always insisted that opportunities will be forthcoming for a defender who arrived in North London from Genoa nine months ago.
And while Radu Dragusin has been limited to only five Premier League starts in a Tottenham shirt – thanks largely to the form of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven – a couple of eye-catching performances in cup competitions will have done wonders to his reputation.
Dragusin put that Qarabag red card behind him with a solid display as a Mikey Moore-inspired Tottenham defeated AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League last week.
The former Bayern Munich target was outstanding, meanwhile, as Spurs knocked Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr scoring early on to render Matheus Nunes effort a mere consolation.
And TBR understands that Tottenham have no plans to weaken an impressive collection of centre-halves by letting Dragusin go just as his career in the English capital is starting to gather speed.
Tottenham Hotspur have no plans to sell Radu Dragusin back to Serie A
TBR have been told that a Napoli side coached by Antonio Conte are keen on Dragusin ahead of the January transfer window. The 2023 Serie A champions were one of the clubs who missed out when the 22-year-old joined Tottenham in the winter.
“There are clubs that are more renowned they have more attraction. And I never get angry (about that),” Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis told at the time. “See Dragusin, to whom I offered more money than Tottenham.
“He preferred England even over Bayern [and Napoli]. And you can’t fight (that desire).”
Napoli are interested again, alongside AC Milan and Juventus.
Milan are coached by former Tottenham manager target Paulo Fonseca these days. Juventus, meanwhile, looked after Dragusin during five years of his development. Romania national team boss Mircea Lucescu talked up a return to Juventus this week too.
The presence of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt at the Allianz Stadium denied Dragusin the chance to stake his claim for a senior role under Massimiliano Allegri during his formative years in Turin.
Agent says Dragusin unlikely to join Napoli in January
Dragusin’s camp are fielding enquiries but, as TBR understands, they are simply keeping their options open rather than pushing for the defender to depart. Agent Florin Meana recently indicated that Tottenham would not consider letting Dragusin go.
“It is normal for Napoli to have him on the list. He is a footballer who played well in Italy,” Manea said.
“[But] I don’t think that Tottenham will part with Radu, even in the current situation, where he is not a starter.
“Apart from Romero and Van de Ven, they have no one [at centre-half]. I think that Radu will get more chances this year. And, if he plays 20 to 25 matches this season, I’m satisfied.”
Dragusin was one of a number of squad players who impressed as Pep Guardiola’s Tottenham hoodoo continued in the cup. Postecoglou was also full of praise for teen sensation Archie Gray and an imperious Rodrigo Bentancur.
“You saw guys like Radu, Archie and Rodrigo come in tonight,” Postecoglou told reporters at full-time. “And they did a fantastic job for the team.
“There’s always an opportunity if you keep winning. But as I say, there’s still some decent teams in there. For us, what’s important is we’re in it. As long as we stay in it, we’ve a chance.”