Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven is keen on joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer and manager Ange Postecoglou personally believes Spurs have a great chance of signing him.
Who will Spurs sign?
The Lilywhites are aiming to take this transfer window by storm and back Postecoglou in his attempts to restore exciting, expansive football at Hotspur Way.
Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte before him encouraged a more pragmatic style but Postecoglou appears determined to deploy a much more different approach.
“In terms of how quickly the players embrace it, the new players coming in will help," said the former Celtic boss on his playing style.
"That’s the part I have control over – whether that’s James or Guglielmo in goal.
"They’re players who fit in the direction I want to go in. Then it’s about seeing with the existing group how many of them are able to adjust and embrace the way we’re going to play.”
Spurs have already sealed the signings of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli, a deal for James Maddison from Leicester City, the free transfer of Manor Solomon and Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent deal from Juventus.
The aforementioned boost Tottenham's options defensively and going forward, with reports suggesting they're now targeting major additions for their central defensive line.
There are a fair few names attracting Spurs' interest, including van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, Barcelona's Clement Lenglet and Galatasary star Victor Nelsson.
Van de Ven, though, is at the centre of reports claiming he is closing in on a move to north London – with reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano claiming a deal is close.
As per The Daily Mirror and journalist Darren Lewis, Postecoglou personally thinks the Dutchman will be Tottenham's "fifth summer signing" after Vicario, Maddison, Solomon and Kulusevski.
The Australian is apparently confident he will join Spurs, and much like Romano, the Mirror claim an agreement is nearing. As well as this, van de Ven is thought to be keen on making the move to N17, a factor which could support Daniel Levy's attempts to sign him.
The 22-year-old is thought to command a price tag of around £25 million, a figure which may well be affordable from Tottenham's perspective.
How good is Micky van de Ven?
According to WhoScored, the defender stood out as a real shining light under Wolfsburg boss Niko Kovac last campaign.
Making more blocks per 90 than any of his teammates, van de Ven also ranked among Wolfsburg's top three best players for clearances made on average (WhoScored).
Indeed, it speaks volumes that Kovac selected van de Ven more than any other of his outfield players in the German top flight last year (WhoScored).
Called a "monster" of a player on Voetbal International, the Bundesliga website have described him as a lightning quick player and even compared him to Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.
They wrote:
"Much like Liverpool’s Dutch centre-back, Van de Ven can be a nightmare for attacking players with his immense strength, determination and precision tackling scuppering the most promising of forward moves.
"With incredible pace and passing ability among his many assets, the Netherlands U21 international – who captained his country at the 2023 UEFA Europan Under-21 Championship – is on course to become a regular for the senior Oranje in the near future."
