Tottenham are set to sign the highly rated Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini on an initial loan with an option to buy for a fee of €15m (£13m). The deal would be the first for Spurs’ new director of football, Fabio Paratici, who sees the 26-year-old as a perfect deal for the present and the future.
The initial deal is set to be a loan for the 2021-22 season with an option to either extend the loan or sign the goalkeeper outright. There are still discussions ongoing about a possible obligation to buy if Gollini achieves certain targets during his first season. Paratici hopes the Italian will challenge Hugo Lloris for the No 1 spot during Nuno Espírito Santo’s first season in charge.
The goalkeeper, who spent two years at the Manchester United academy between 2012 and 2014 before joining Verona and then Aston Villa, has been a member of the Italian national team setup for a number of years and is considered one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A.
He has also extensive experience of playing in the Champions League, having been a key member of the Atalanta team that reached the knockout phase in the past two years under Gian Piero Gasperini.
Another Atalanta player, the centre-back Cristian Romero, is also a target for Tottenham this summer but there is no agreement between the two clubs for the Argentinian yet.
Source: theguardian