Report: Tottenham could sign Italian wonderkid for just £4.2m
Tottenham Hotspur are looking to the future once more, as they eye a move for Italian teenager Giovanni Leoni, and they could sign the centre-half for just £4.2m this summer.
The 17-year-old came through the academy at Serie C side Padova, but he joined Serie B outfit, Sampdoria, on loan in January of this year.
Leoni has impressed across 12 first-team appearances for Sampdoria, scoring one goal and putting in a number of high-quality displays at the back (Transfermarkt).
He is now set to join Sampdoria on a permanent basis thanks to a £1.3m purchase option in their loan agreement, but the Italian side may then look to sell Leoni for profit almost immediately.
Spurs could snap up Giovanni Leoni for cheap
That’s according to La Repubblica (via Tuttojuve), who claim Sampdoria are ready to sell the youngster and reinvest the funds into their own squad to launch a promotion push as they look to return to Serie A.
It is thought a price tag of €5m (£4.2m) has been placed on Leoni already.
And it’s Spurs who are cited as a possible destination for Leoni, along with Juventus, Napoli. and Torino. It is thought the latter would be the favourites to sign the player, as they can offer him regular first-team football.
However, according to CalcioMercato, Leoni himself harbours ambitions of playing either in the Premier League or for Roma, a club he admires. It is suggested the Italian contingent at Spurs could help Leoni settle in if he was to move to England.
Spurs Web Opinion
I don’t know how many promising young centre-halves we need, but for just over £4m, we’d be mad not to make a move for Giovanni Leoni.
It would be interesting to see how he would fit in at Spurs, especially with the likes of Alfie Dorrington and Ashley Phillips already pushing for a first-team opportunity.
