Tottenham dealt a blow in their pursuit of Abdukodir Khusanov as Manchester City enter transfer race
Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to increase depth in the backline, with the Lilywhites suffering on multiple occasions this season owing to a lack of options at the heart of defence.
Ange Postecoglou has been calling for a new central defender for some time, given how thin his roster looks at this moment. The Australian head coach had been looking to sign a new centre-back in the summer window; however, he went into the new campaign without a new face in the position and that has come back to haunt him.
The 59-year-old’s preferred centre-back duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have missed chunks of the first half of the season due to injury concerns. Ben Davies has also been dealing with a hamstring problem, forcing Ange Postecoglou to use teenage midfielder Archie Gray in a makeshift centre-back role.
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To address their defensive frailties, the North Londoners have been vying for a move for RC Lens’ Abdukodir Khusanov this month. However, according to an exclusive report from GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham are at risk of missing out on the RC Lens defender as Premier League rivals Manchester City are looking to hijack a potential move to North London.
Abdukodir Khusanov moved to RC Lens from Belarusian club Energetik-BGU Minsk in July 2023, and he hasn’t looked back since. The Uzbekistan international has established himself as one of the most promising defensive prospects in Ligue 1 over the last 12-15 months, becoming a mainstay at the back for RC Lens in the process.
Spurs have extensively scouted the 20-year-old this season; however, they are now facing a significant blow in their pursuit of the centre-back as Manchester City have joined the race for his signature.
The aforementioned report adds Lens are open to selling Khusanov for around £20million in this transfer window, but the prospect of working under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium could leave the chiefs at the Hotspur Way frustrated in their attempts to bring him to North London.
Indeed, Man City joining the transfer race for Khusanov is a big blow for Tottenham. Even though the Sky Blues have not been in the greatest of forms over the last two months, they are the reigning English champions for a reason and the lure to work under Guardiola is difficult for players to ignore.
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They are a club who have been competing in the Champions League regularly over the years and managed to grab the elusive trophy in June 2023. Plus, City are expected to have a much higher January budget than Spurs’ £25million.
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If both the clubs compete for Khusanov’s signature, all factors point towards City winning the race which if happens will be a big blow for Big Ange and Spurs.
