Tottenham ‘make Weston McKennie decision’ after Aston Villa hijack claims
Tottenham Hotspur apparently have no interest in hijacking Aston Villa‘s proposed deal to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, despite previous reports.
The Lions are believed to be working on a swap transfer with their Italian counterparts, who are pushing to bring Douglas Luiz to Turin for the 2024-25 season.
In return, Unai Emery‘s men could acquire the services of both McKennie and winger Samuel Iling-Junior, although the two parties are currently struggling to find an agreement.
With negotiations stalling, a report from Football Insider claimed that Tottenham had leapfrogged Villa in the race to sign McKennie, who is only under contract at Juventus for another year.
Spurs had allegedly agreed a £15m deal to sign the former Leeds United loanee, whom Juventus are happy to offload in the current transfer window in order to avoid the prospect of losing him for nothing next year.
Tottenham ‘have no plans’ to sign McKennie
However, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have no interest whatsoever in a deal for McKennie and have not agreed a fee for the USA international.
Instead, McKennie’s exit demands to Juventus are said to be what is holding up the Luiz swap deal with Aston Villa, but the two parties remain in constant dialogue with the hope of finalising a deal soon.
McKennie’s proposed switch to Villa Park would bring an end to his five-year spell at Juventus, who initially signed him on loan from Schalke 04 in 2020 before making his stay permanent one year later.
The American lynchpin has contributed 13 goals and 15 assists from 134 matches in that time, enjoying a particularly productive 2023-24 season with 10 assists in 38 matches under Massimiliano Allegri.
However, McKennie would be bumped down the pecking order next season following Luiz’s arrival, while Nicolo Fagioli is now back in action following his seven-month betting suspension.
What other midfielders can Tottenham target?
Instead of hijacking a deal for McKennie, Tottenham’s chief midfield target is understood to be Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, who could also become a free agent in just under 12 months time.
The England international has thus far refused to extend his terms at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues hierarchy are therefore understood to be keen to sell him at the earliest opportunity.
As a home-grown academy product, Gallagher’s sale would go down as pure profit on Chelsea’s books, but the midfielder himself is thought to be open to seeing out the last year of his contract amid claims that he has a £50m price tag on his head.
Swoops for Everton’s James Garner and Sporting Lisbon’s Morten Hjulmand have also been mooted, while Leeds United’s Archie Gray – who can play as a right-back or midfielder – is of interest too.
