‘Meeting scheduled’ – Tottenham edge closer to signing Serie A star; Levy €3m short with opening bid

Tottenham and Fulham representatives are reportedly set to meet Roma director Tiago Pinto to discuss the potential signing of Roger Ibanez.

 

The Brazilian centre-back is thought to be keen on a switch to the Premier League and has been linked with a move away from Roma for some time.

This has caught the attention of Tottenham in particular. It’s no secret that Ange Postecoglou is keen to add more quality defenders to his squad this summer.

That is no surprise, either, given Spurs conceded an eye-watering 63 goals in the Premier League last season. This was ultimately the key reason why they missed out on qualifying for European football.

Postecoglou is reportedly happy to part ways with Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez. But the manager will have to bring in replacements for them.

Tottenham’s top defensive targets have long been considered to be Bundesliga duo Micky van de Ven and Edmond Tapsoba.

However, it now seems they are edging towards an agreement for the signing of Ibanez from Roma.

According to Italian outlet Roma Giallorossa, Tottenham will have a meeting for to discuss the potential signing ‘very soon.’

That’s because Roma director Pinto should be in London ‘in the coming days’ to speak about Ibanez.

The report states Pinto will  try to negotiate with Fulham and ‘above all’ Tottenham, who ‘had an offer worth €22m (approx. £18.8m) rejected by Roma ‘around 20 days ago.’

Tottenham are already close to meeting the Italian club’s valuation. Roma Giallorossa add that for €22m plus €3m in bonuses, the deal ‘could be closed’.

Last season, Ibanez made 48 appearances across all competitions for Roma. In the process, he helped his team to 15 clean sheets and scored two goals.

His form earned him a call-up to the Brazil national team last year and at the age of 24, he is only expected to improve as he gains experience.

Ironically, Tottenham have just missed out on signing Fulham centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, who now looks set to join Monaco. 

Therefore, Spurs could now step up their pursuit of Ibanez, while the Cottagers also keen to replace Adarabioyo with the Brazilian.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Daniel Levy is willing to pay the extra €3m required for Tottenham to sign Ibanez this summer. If they don’t, Fulham may well swoop in for his signature.