Tottenham Hotspur are set to make a bid for promising Italian midfielder Davide Fratteschi (Inter Milan).
“Tottenham will present an offer to Inter Milan in the coming weeks in a bid worth more than €30 million ($44.3 million) for Davide Pratesi,” global media outlet Sporting Fitness reported on Monday.
Born in 1999, midfielder Pratesi has been a talented prospect since childhood, representing all of Italy’s age-group national teams.
His physical strength allows him to play a high volume of minutes per game, and his skill with the ball allows him to break off the dribble. He’s also a set-piece kicker for his club, and is known for his consistency in kicking and defending.
After playing for Sassuolo, Pratesi joined Serie A giants Inter on loan last summer. In an Inter jersey with a permanent transfer clause if the option is fulfilled, he has been the team’s “express joker” this season, helping them win the Serie A title.
Prates made 42 appearances this season, but he came on as a substitute a whopping 31 times, totaling just 1,555 minutes of playing time. Despite his lack of playing time, he still managed to score eight goals and provide seven assists in all competitions.
His performances this season led to an option being triggered and he made the move permanent for €25 million, extending his contract with Inter until June 2028.
Pratesi continued to excel at the club and with the Italian national team. After making his A-match debut in June 2022, he has steadily risen through the ranks of the national team and was named to Italy’s preliminary squad on June 23 ahead of the UEFA European Football Championship 2024 in Germany next month.
Regarded as one of the future leaders of the Italian midfield, Pratesi is now attracting interest from Tottenham and could leave the club just one year after joining Inter Milan.
“Pratesi has been limited to a largely substitute role, playing just 1,555 minutes in 42 games, which has led to Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and AS Roma monitoring him with greater interest,” the outlet explained.
“Pratesi could be back on the transfer market this summer, with Tottenham planning to pry him away from Serie A champions Inter Milan,” the report 토토 added.
The outlet claimed that Tottenham could use Brazilian full-back Emerson Royal as a bargaining chip to land Pratesi. Emerson has fallen down the pecking order at Tottenham this season and has been linked with a move away this summer. Currently, Italian Serie A side AC Milan are reportedly keen on signing Emerson.
“Inter have tried to sign Emerson in the past,” the outlet said, “and AC Milan are now said to be interested in him, with his agent having met with the Nerazzurri recently.”
“Emerson is currently valued at between €15-18 million ($22.2-26.6 million), which would bring the total cost of the deal for Prates up to €48 million ($70.9 million),” the report added.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s pursuit of a new midfielder has sparked speculation about which player will lose out in the competition for a starting role. Some fans have suggested that Pratici’s style could push out Tottenham vice-captain James Maddison.
Maddison joined Spurs from Leicester City last summer and was a key part of the Spurs midfield, scoring three goals and providing five assists in 11 league games before being ruled out for the first half of the season with an ankle injury last November. He was particularly impressive in August, scoring one goal and providing two assists in the month, earning him the Premier League’s August Player of the Month award.
However, after returning from injury, his form dropped significantly. In his 17 league appearances in the second half of the season, Maddison managed just one goal and four assists. His poor form led some fans to call for him to be dropped from the starting lineup. Maddison has a very playful personality, with England striker Harry Kane calling him the “cheekiest player in the game. When he’s playing well, he’s loved, but when he’s playing badly, he’s on the chopping block.
With a fifth-place finish in the Premier League in 2023-24 and a spot in next season’s UEFA Europa League on the line, Tottenham are constantly on the lookout for new players to bolster their squad. It will be interesting to see if Pratchett, who is currently the center of Spurs’ attention, can become the next Spurs playmaker.