What’s the story?
Barcelona have joined the race to sign Dele Alli from Tottenham Hotspur. The Englishman has been in fine form this season and has attracted interest from several European giants.
Real Madrid are already said to be in talks with Tottenham to sign their young star in the summer. Alli has caught the eye on Zidane who's looking to sign a midfielder in the summer.
In case you didn’t know...
Alli was signed by Tottenham in February 2015 for a mere £5 million and loaned back to MK Dons straight away. He's been a central figure in Mauricio Pochettino's team ever since he joined them last summer and also scored twice in Tottenham's 2-1 win over Chelsea last week to end The Blues' unbeaten run of 13 wins on the trot.
Alli recently rejected a massive £800,000 a week contract from an unnamed Chinese side to remain at White Hart Lane. He's scored 10 goals and assisted 1 in his 19 appearances for Spurs this season.
The heart of the matter
Barcelona are on the hunt for a long-term replacement for Andres Iniesta. They have Andre Gomes and Sergio Roberto in the squad, but Luis Enrique prefers Roberto as a right-back while Andre Gomes is highly inconsistent for the Catalan giants.
Real Madrid are also on the look out for a young midfielder to replace Luka Modric, who turns 32 this year. Zidane has Casemero in the squad but wants to add more competition for the position.
Tottenham have reportedly slapped a £70 million price tag on the 20-year-old midfielder and reports suggest that La Liga giants are ready to match the asking fee.
What’s next?
Tottenham are building a strong squad under Mauricio Pochettino and will not be trying their best to hold on to their star player. The Englishman signed a new six-year deal at White Hart Lane in September and is not looking for a move away from the club.
Real Madrid have already signed 2 players from Tottenham in recent times. Luke Modric joined the Los Blancos in 2012 for £30 million and was followed by Gareth Bale the next summer for £85 million.
Barcelona will try and make sure that they do not lose out to Real Madrid for the signature of the Englishman. They are struggling in the La Liga and are already 5 points behind despite having played a game more than Real Madrid.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Real Madrid would be looking to capitalise on their 'good relationship' with Tottenham to beat Barcelona to the signing of Alli. Daniel Levy would be happy to sell him but only if he gets a minimum of £70 million for him.
