Italian midfielder Nicolo Fagioli. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Press reports indicate that Tottenham Hotspur are in pole position to sign Italian star Nicolo Fagioli.
Fagioli has been with Juventus since 2015 and after leaving the youth ranks, he has now made 65 appearances for the first team in all competitions.
However, the seven-time Italy international missed most of last season through suspension Gambling crimes.
Thiago Motta took over as Juventus coach in the summer, and since his return, Fagioli has been unable to return to the team.
The 23-year-old has started just five Serie A matches this season, playing just 36% of possible minutes – although he has managed to play a further 205 minutes in four Champions League matches.
Nicolo Fagioli: Tottenham is in first place to sign the Juventus star
Reports (trans Tottenham Web) are now reporting that Juventus could allow Fagioli to leave the club for as little as £20.7m in January.
A host of Premier League clubs have been alerted to the midfielder's situation, including Fulham, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.
But the latter appears to have the advantage in the race to sign Fagioli, who is looking to join the biggest club possible to increase his chances of playing European football.
Fagioli – who is also attracting interest from French giants Marseille – has apparently been a target of Ange Postecoglou for more than 18 months.
Former Juventus defender Sergio Borini has advised the club to take Fagioli's wages – €53,462 per week according to… Kapology – Off the books if they get the chance.
“If it comes to the right amount, I will honestly sell it,” Borini said. “In this Juve, there is no star. So everyone is important and no one can be dispensed with.”
When asked about the possibility of signing players to help his injury-hit squad in January, Tottenham coach Postecoglou said He responded: “Yes, I think if the right players are there. Again, it's about making sure it's something that will help us continue to build on what we're doing.
