Tottenham have approached another ‘fantastic’ Man City talent after losing out on Savinho
Tottenham are determined to sign a Manchester City player one way or another.
Pep Guardiola probably thought he'd seen the last of Spurs for the year after Man City were defeated by Tottenham at the Etihad.
Man City then blocked Savinho's transfer to North London days later. With deadline day approaching, the Citizens may have believed they were off the hook.
But Daniel Levy seems to have found a new sense of urgency now that Xavi Simons is set to arrive at Tottenham. In a race against the clock, Levy is far from done in the transfer window this summer.
Tottenham make an approach for Manuel Akanji
As reported by Fabrizio Romano via X, Tottenham have approached Man City for Manuel Akanji.
This comes after Spurs missed out on Piero Hincapie, who is set to sign for Arsenal within hours.
AC Milan are also in talks over a move for the defender and are ready to pay a £15million fee. However, the Italian club are still in talks over personal terms.
Akanji is one of three names on Spurs' shortlist who intend to sign a centre-back before the end of the window. The Citizens defender could be a great market opportunity with Guardiola full of nothing but praise for his player.
In quotes provided by Manchester City on 6 September 2022, Guardiola said: “Manuel is really intelligent and great with the ball. City brought me and the club a fantastic player.
“He’s a fantastic age at 27 and mature so yeah, really good. He reads really well the spaces, and I am very pleased for him.”
How does Manuel Akanji compare to Tottenham's centre-back duo?
If signed, Akanji will be arriving at Tottenham with the intention of becoming a regular starter.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are Spurs' top choice when it comes to centre-back pairings. While injuries have prevented the duo from reaching their best potential, they are still considered one of the best partnerships in the Premier League.
Akanji could disrupt this. During the 2024/25 season, the Man City defender excelled in ball carrying, passing and the percentage of forward passes completed.
Meanwhile, van de Ven was a cheat code for progressive passes and possession won, and Romero was an excellent aerial threat. However, Akanji ranks in the 1.4 per cent percentile for defensive duels which is the lowest of the three.
Despite this, Thomas Frank is a practical coach. He'd likely switch up the partnerships depending on the game state. Against more attacking teams, the defensive prowess of Romero would be necessary. But teams that sit back could need the creativity of Akanji to help unlock them.
Either way, Tottenham will be spoilt for choice if the Man City defender arrives in North London.
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