Tottenham Eye Rangers Star Borna Barisic to Solve Imminent Defensive Crisis
By Ben Carter
Exclusive - Tottenham Hotspur will make a move for £22m-rated Rangers left back Borna Barišić at the end of the season as they prepare for life without Jan Vertonghen.
The Belgium international has run down his contract in north London and is set to leave on a free transfer in the summer, with fellow defender Japhet Tanganga also entering the last few months of his current deals.
Tottenham are also looking to offload Danny Rose (currently out on loan at Newcastle) before his contract expires in 2021 and scouts from north London have been searching far and wide for a new left back ahead of the summer transfer window.
The club have been looking at a number of different targets, but a source has told 90min that Tottenham have been impressed by Rangers' Barišić.
The 27-year-old only moved to Glasgow from NK Osijek for £2.2m in 2018, but Barišić has been one of the club's standout players under Steven Gerrard and is starting to attract interest from European football's biggest clubs.
Italian outfit Roma were keeping tabs on Barišić during the most recent January transfer window, and although Rangers didn't want to lose their first-choice left back during the middle of the season, the club will be prepared to cash in this summer.
Tottenham will be among the clubs who will make a move for the Croatia international this summer, with Rangers set to demand over £22m for Barišić.
Signing a new full back is one of the top priorities for José Mourinho ahead of the summer transfer window, but Tottenham's manager has already confirmed that the club will not be overhauling their squad.
When asked if he wanted to spend big this summer, Mourinho said: "No, not massive changes. First of all, that's not what we think we need. Second, because of the profile of our club and third because of what the market is. Year after year, it's more difficult.
"I'm not thinking of an overhaul."
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