Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Weston McKennie to the Premier League in the summer transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that Fabio Paratici is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Juventus midfielder ahead of launching a potential move in the coming weeks, with the Serie A side said to be willing to part with the 23-year-old for a figure of around €40m (£34m) this summer.
However, the report then goes on to state that, after Paul Pogba recently picked up a knee injury that looks set to keep the 29-year-old sidelined for the start of the 2022/23 campaign, Juve may now be less open to allowing the USA international to leave Turin over the remainder of the current window.
“Tick a lot of boxes”
While it is true that a metatarsal fracture saw McKennie’s game time at Juventus severely reduced last season, considering the midfielder’s impressive returns when he did play a part for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, it is not difficult to understand why Paratici would be keen on a deal to bring the 23-year-old to Tottenham this summer.
Indeed, according to FBref, the £42m-rated talent ranks in the top 8% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues and European competitions for non-penalty xG per 90 minutes, in addition to the top 17% for shots, the top 17% for non-penalty xG+xA, the top 20% for non-penalty goals, the top 2% for touches in the opposition penalty area and the top 1% for progressive passes received over the past 12 months.
Furthermore, the £52k-per-week American also ranks in the top 8% of attacking midfielders for interceptions per 90, as well as the top 7% for clearances, the top 9% for aerial duels won, the top 14% for blocks, the top 31% for tackles and the top 33% for pressures over last 365 days.
As such, with it being clear that McKennie is an incredibly versatile box-to-box midfielder, it is no wonder why Alasdair Gold stated his belief that the 34-cap international would “tick a lot of boxes” for Antonio Conte’s side, nor is it hard to see why David Wagner dubbed the 23-year-old an “outstanding” player during his time at FC Schalke – as is it clear that the Juve centrocampista would make an unbelievable addition to the Italian’s options in the heart of his Spurs midfield next season.
AND in other news, Paratici now given green light for “huge signing”, it’d be an “unreal” coup for Spurs…
