Spurs: Inter willing to sell Milan Skriniar

An encouraging update has emerged on the future of long-term Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Milan Skrinar.

Inter Milan are thought to be keen to offload the 27-year-old centre-back before next week’s deadline as the club’s hierarchy has been left unimpressed by his recent actions amid links to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Nerazzurri are willing to let him go for €20m (£18m) but there is a worry that teams could wait until the summer when his contract will end at the San Siro, making him free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign party.

Earlier this month, Spurs were mooted with interest in the Slovakian international once again, with manager Antonio Conte keen on a reunion in N17.

Fabio Paratici’s attempts to lure Skriniar to north London have dated back to the summer of 2021, so now he could finally land his man, given the seemingly green light from the Serie A giants this week.

Come the summer, the Lilywhites will be on the lookout for a centre-back once again as Clement Lenglet’s season-long loan from FC Barcelona is up, leaving a void in Conte’s back three heading into next season.

The Frenchman has hardly been convincing, though, so the issue is sort of bubbling beneath the surface right now, escalating the need for defensive reinforcements before Tuesday night.

For just £18m, the Italian head coach would be reuniting with his title-winning colossus after he played 32 of 38 matches to help Inter end a decade-long wait for success in the Serie A.

Skriniar remains an absolute “monster” – in the words of journalist Siavoush Fallahi – as he is capable of being a major threat in both boxes. He’s managing more tackles per 90 (1.64) than that aforementioned campaign and has managed a 91.2% passing accuracy in each of his last five seasons.

Another key asset of the Slovak is his powerful and dominating presence, having been described as a “leader” by his former youth coach Tibor Goljan. It could be argued that this sort of player is lacking in Conte’s current armoury.

Given the need for stronger voices and better performances – combined with the success the two have enjoyed together before – Skriniar is surely something of a dream signing for the Spurs boss.