Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly still plotting a move for Bayer Leverkusen defender, Edmond Tapsoba, with the Lilywhites also seemingly keen to wrap up a deal for fellow centre-back, Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg.
How much will Edmond Tapsoba cost?
According to journalist Patrick Berger, the north London outfit are ready to make a bid of around €45m (£39m) in order to prise the 24-year-old from the BayArena, albeit with the Bundesliga side still hoping to keep hold of the Burkina Faso international this summer.
Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider revealed: "Tottenham Hotspur are pushing to sign Edmond Tapsoba (24). Been told the Premier League side is planning to make a new offer of €45m + add ons but Bayer Leverkusen want way more. The German club normally doesn’t want to sell the centre-back."
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As per the Evening Standard's Dan Kilpatrick, while Spurs are said to be closing in on a £30m deal for Van de Ven, the signing of another central defender is not out of the question, with 'negotiations' still ongoing regarding a move for Tapsoba.
How good is Edmond Tapsoba?
The 6 foot 4 rock – who has been valued at €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory – has caught the attention as a result of his fine displays in Germany in recent years, having initially made the move to Leverkusen from Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes back in the summer of 2020.
Since then, the "elegant" asset – as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – has racked up 137 appearances in all competitions for his current side, having been described as a 'powerful and super quick defender who boasts frightening heading abilities', according to the Bundesliga website.
Despite that glowing praise, those of a Tottenham persuasion may be concerned to learn that Tapsoba has previously been likened to ex-Chelsea flop Kalidou Kouliably in the recent past by Kulig, with that unlikely to spark much confidence with regard to the impact he can make in the Premier League.
That similarity can notably be seen by their lack of a dominant, physical presence in the heart of the backline, with Tapsoba ranking in just the bottom 37% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won per 90, while his centre-back counterpart ranks in just the bottom 35% for that same metric.
In the case of Kouliably, the 6 foot 1 brute was snapped up by the Blues on a £33m deal from Napoli last summer, having previously been dubbed the "best defender in the world" by former Genoa coach, Claudio Onofri, due to his form in Italy.
Despite the high expectation following his move to Stamford Bridge, the Senegalese defender was an undoubted disappointment during his one and only season at Stamford Bridge, having been blasted by pundit Ian Wright for looking "nervy".
Such were the 32-year-old's woes last season, he has since secured a swift exit from the club in order to join Saudi Arabian side, Al Hilal, with ESPN pundit Stewart Robson remarking that the towering dud simply wasn't "the formidable defender that he was when he was at Napoli".
To then find a potential heir to Koulibaly in the form of Tapsoba could prove to be something of a mistake for those in north London, with Postecoglou and co likely not wanting to splash the cash on a deal that could come back to bite them.
