Spurs are monitoring Watford captain Troy Deeney; Jose Mourinho says the club is 'working very hard' to sign a new striker
Friday 11 September 2020 22:57, UK
Tottenham are unlikely to sign Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik in the current transfer window, according to Sky Italy's Gianluca Di Marzio, but the club are monitoring Watford captain Troy Deeney.
Milik has been linked with a move to Spurs after scoring 48 goals in 122 games for Napoli since joining from Ajax in 2016.
Harry Kane is the only specialist striker in Tottenham's first-team squad and head coach Jose Mourinho says the club is "working very hard" to sign competition for the England captain.
However, Napoli are thought to want £32.5m for Poland international Milik, who has just one year left on his contract.
Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth told The Transfer Show: "Milik has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs in the past few windows and the Napoli president - the quiet, shy, retiring Aurelio De Laurentiis - has said that he is up for sale, Kalidou Koulibaly is up for sale, all these players are up for sale provided a club meets their transfer fee.
"That is the big obstacle as far as Tottenham are concerned though. I spoke to Sky Italy's Gianluca Di Marzio and asked him about this link with Milik and Tottenham, and he said it was unlikely because Tottenham were unlikely to meet the £32.5m valuation that Napoli have put on Milik's head.
"He's entered the final year of his contract and Tottenham could sign him on a pre-contract agreement in January, so wait another three months and get him for free the following summer.
"Milik has been left out of the Napoli squad though for their pre-season friendly against Pescara, so that one is moving at the moment - maybe to another Italian club if Tottenham aren't willing to put up that money."
Another potential option for Tottenham is Watford captain Deeney, who has also been linked with newly-promoted West Brom.
The 32-year-old previously admitted he was unsure about his future following Watford's relegation to the Championship and Spurs are monitoring the situation.
"If he does leave Watford, and it's a big if still - he's Mr Watford, he's been there for 10 years and made nearly 400 appearances, but if he does - then it's likely to be towards the end of the window," Sheth added.
"Remember, there is no rush for this one because EFL clubs can still do business, buying and selling with Premier League clubs until October 16.
"It's October 5 for the main deadline but the authorities wanted to give the EFL clubs a bit more time to bring in players and to make money as well, given what's happened with COVID-19. So he's got until October 16 to make a move, if and when he does."
Red Bull Salzburg striker Patson Daka has also been linked with Spurs but the 21-year-old is set to remain with the Austrian club for another season.
"He is someone they have been interested in this transfer window but Tottenham have been told that he is staying at Red Bull Salzburg for now," Sheth added.
"Interestingly, Daka is represented by the former Tottenham striker Freddie Kanoute, so there's a relationship there between Kanoute and Tottenham.
"I'm sure Kanoute will be keeping Tottenham abreast of Daka's future plans."
Mourinho has given good indication that Tanguy Ndombele can turn his Tottenham career around by saying the record signing is "working better than ever".
The Frenchman, who cost Spurs £55m from Lyon last season, suffered from injury and fitness issues during a torrid first year in English football, and has been linked with a move away this summer.
Ndombele fell foul of Mourinho - who publicly criticised him on two occasions - and gave him just 64 minutes of action in the final nine games of the season after the restart, but the Spurs boss is now prepared to give his player a fresh start.
"He's working very hard," Mourinho said. "I have to be honest and say he is working better than ever. Of course he finished the season injured with a very important injury.
"He came back after holidays and of course he was still injured, in spite of doing some work on the recovery process.
"He didn't start the pre-season with us. When you saw him 45 minutes against Watford it was easy to understand and say he's not in the best condition. But he trained only two days before that match.
"This week he did not go to the national team and trained every day. Is his condition better today than it was last week? Yes his condition is better. And he is working very, very hard.
"So the point now is - can he keep that commitment and desire? If he does it, he has incredible potential."
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The summer transfer window will run for 10 weeks from July 27 and close at 11pm on October 5.
A domestic-only window for trades between the Premier League and EFL then runs from October 5 and closes on Friday, October 16 at 5pm. Follow all the news and analysis on Sky Sports News and across Sky Sports' digital platforms, including with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
