Tottenham and West Ham locked in battle with AC Milan over bargain free transfer

13 April 2024 , 19:30

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Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo is wanted by Tottenham and West Ham (Image: Javier Garcia/REX/Shutterstock)

Tottenham and West Ham are going head-to-head for Fulham central defender Tosin Adarabioyo.

The 26-year-old centre-back is out of contract at Craven Cottage this summer and despite several rounds of talks over a possible extension, he looks poised to depart west London on a free transfer. Italian giants AC Milan are also in the hunt for his signature as they've been free to hold discussions with the player and his representatives since January - when Adarabioyo entered the final six months of his deal.

Fulham tabled a fresh contract proposal to Adarabioyo in March that included a notable and significant pay-rise as Marco Silva is desperate to keep hold of the former Manchester City academy graduate. But even Fulham are now resigned to losing their defender as we approach the final stretch of the matches before the end of the campaign.

Monaco held talks with Fulham over a deal last summer but the two clubs failed to agree a fee for the speedy defender. Fulham received an offer worth in the region of £4.2million from the Ligue 1 club but felt the bid was unsatisfactory. Instead, the Cottagers decided to risk keeping hold of Adarabioyo into the final year of his contract, in hope that they could win him over. Liverpool have also been credited with an interest but sources have briefed that it would be a major surprise if the 26-year-old ended up at Anfield.

Spurs want another central defender to replace Eric Dier following his surprise transfer to Bayern Munich. Although Radu Dragusin came in from Genoa in January, Micky van de Ven has struggled with hamstring problems during various points of the season. Additionally, Adarabioyo qualifies as a homegrown player which is of added importance for both Spurs and West Ham. Newcastle are looking for two new central defenders this summer following Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles' respective knee injuries and could therefore enter the running.

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Tosin Adarabioyo is a man in demand this summer (Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)

Fulham are also vying to keep hold of Bobby De Cordova-Reid and remain locked in discussions with his representatives over an extension. Silva recently said of the duo: "The reality, and what I can to you now, we are speaking with them and their agents. What we try to is to have them with us. Our ambition, and what we want, is to have them with us again next season.” Tottenham maintain interest in Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly, who is also admired by Newcastle and is due to leave the Vitality Stadium on a free transfer this summer.

Ryan Taylor