Tottenham ‘face £21m fee’ to sign Jose Mourinho outcast as Antonio Conte rebuild continues | Football | Sport

Tottenham could end up forking out £21million for AS Roma star Jordan Veretout, who has been ostracised by Jose Mourinho in Italy. Antonio Conte is desperate to keep the signings coming but Newcastle are also in the mix.

Tottenham boss Conte is keen to continue his rebuild of the club and has identified AS Roma star Veretout as the ideal target.

The midfielder has seen his first-team chances drop under Mourinho, who is often extremely demanding of his midfielders.

After a bright start to life under The Special One, the Frenchman has fallen down the pecking order at the Studio Olimpico.

Now seen more on the bench, Veretout has had to try adapt to Mourinho’s tactics and has even been forced out on the wing.

A transfer away appears to be the best solution for all parties and there is not shortage of interest in his services.

According to Roma Today, the Serie A outfit are open to the former Aston Villa star’s departure with a bid of £21m enough to prise him away from the Italian capital.

Tottenham are leading the charge to snap up the 28-year-old with Conte a big fan of the player having seen plenty of him in action while in charge of Inter Milan.

Spurs chief Fabio Paratici has strong links in Italy and has already used them to his benefit after the double swoop of Dejan Kuvulevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in January from his former club Juventus.

However, Newcastle are also interested in Veretout and have the money in the bank to blow their Premier League rivals out of the water.

The Magpies splashed out nearly £100m in January in the first transfer window following the purchase of the club from their new Saudi owners, including Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood being snapped up for £38m and £27m respectively.

Tottenham will also have to fend off interest from several Serie A clubs, including Napoli and AC Milan – who view Veretout as the ideal replacement for Franck Kessie.

The Ivory Coast international is out of contract at the end of the season and has no plans to renew, meaning a free transfer awaits in the summer.

Spurs have courted the midfielder before and tried to sign him in January but Kessie did not want to make a decision amid interest from Barcelona.

Tottenham boss Conte is keen to continue his rebuild of the club and has identified AS Roma star Veretout as the ideal target.

The midfielder has seen his first-team chances drop under Mourinho, who is often extremely demanding of his midfielders.

After a bright start to life under The Special One, the Frenchman has fallen down the pecking order at the Stadio Olimpico.

Now seen more on the bench, Veretout has had to try adapt to Mourinho’s tactics and has even been forced out on the wing.

A transfer away appears to be the best solution for all parties and there is not a shortage of interest in his services.

According to Roma Today, the Serie A outfit are open to the former Aston Villa star’s departure with a bid of £21m enough to prise him away from the Italian capital.

Tottenham are leading the charge to snap up the 28-year-old with Conte a big fan of the player having seen plenty of him in action while in charge of Inter Milan.

Spurs chief Fabio Paratici has strong links in Italy and has already used them to his benefit after the double swoop of Dejan Kuvulevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in January from his former club Juventus.

However, Newcastle are also interested in Veretout and have the money in the bank to blow their Premier League rivals out of the water.

The Magpies splashed out nearly £100m in January in the first transfer window following the purchase of the club from their new Saudi owners, including Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood being snapped up for £38m and £27m respectively.

Tottenham will also have to fend off interest from several Serie A clubs, including Napoli and AC Milan – who view Veretout as the ideal replacement for Franck Kessie.

The Ivory Coast international is out of contract at the end of the season and has no plans to renew, meaning a free transfer awaits in the summer.

Spurs have courted the midfielder before and tried to sign him in January but Kessie did not want to make a decision amid interest from Barcelona.