Tottenham need Chelsea’s help in the transfer market
Tottenham and Chelsea are fierce London rivals on the pitch, but Spurs may get some help from Blues when it comes to solving their defensive issues.
Chelsea certainly aren’t going to do Tottenham any favours intentionally, but their summer transfer plans could help Spurs in a strange way. If the Blues are willing to sell N’Golo Kante to Inter Milan, it could force the Italians into a reluctant deal with Tottenham.
Inter Milan’s interest in prying N’Golo Kante away from Chelsea is an open secret. According to The Sun, Chelsea might be willing to sell the veteran midfielder for £45 million before the summer transfer window slams shut.
As it happens, Tottenham are locked in tense transfer negotiations with Inter over the services of centre back Milan Skriniar. The Serbian international has fallen out of Antonio Conte’s starting XI, but the Italian club don’t want to lose him due to the depth he provides the squad at multiple positions. Jose Mourinho views Skriniar as a defender who can immediately stabilize his backline at Spurs.
It’s easy to see how these issues can intersect. Inter Milan are not a club that find themselves flush with transfer cash. If they want to make a serious bid for Kante, they’ll need to raise funds by selling someone on their current squad. Skriniar represents one of the most valuable players at their disposal that isn’t a member of Conte’s starting XI.
That financial reality increases Inter’s willingness to negotiate with Spurs on a fee for Skriniar. Tottenham are in no mood to satisfy the original asking price of £60 million. Tottenham might stretch to pay a total fee of £40 million for the talented defender, but anything more will be out of the North London club’s price range.
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Inter Milan can’t expect to fully fund their potential Kante purchase by selling Skriniar, but they can come very close. That could push them to give into Spurs’ efforts to sign their steady defender in the coming days. It’s a very interesting thing for both Tottenham and Chelsea supporters to watch moving forward.