‘Gentleman’s agreement’ to seal Serie A transfer as favourite from Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle named
A Serie A star is primed to sign a new contract, though the deal will come with a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that will alert Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle and one other Premier League side, per reports.
Tottenham and Newcastle especially are known to be on the hunt for defensive reinforcements in January. Spurs are without Micky van de Ven until the new year, while Eric Dier is out of contract at season’s end.
Rather than allow the 29-year-old to walk away for free, The Mirror reported Daniel Levy will explore a sale in January.
However, with centre-back depth already perilously light at Spurs, one and potentially two new centre-halves are required sooner rather than later.
Newcastle, meanwhile, could lose Sven Botman for the long haul if the Dutchman elects to undergo surgery to repair a knee injury. Botman hasn’t featured since September and surgery remains an option. Elsewhere, Dan Burn is out for two months with a back issue.
Now, according to various reports out of Italy – as well as from Fabrizio Romano – several English clubs are sizing up Genoa defender, Radu Dragusin.
The 21-year-old stands at 6ft 3in tall and plays primarily at centre-half. His versatility does allow him to operate at right-back if required.
Dragusin has played every minute in Serie A for Genoa this season and is making giant strides forward. He’s under contract with the club until 2027, though Genoa want an added level of security. According to Fabrizio Romano, Dragusin is primed to pen an extension.
TuttoMercatoWeb added their take to Dragusin’s future, claiming the new deal will add an extra 12 months onto his existing contract.
However, the new deal will also reportedly come with a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that will see Genoa accept any bids they receive in the €30m (approx. £26.2m) range.
Romano hints at Prem favourite
That’s where the English contingent come in, with TMW listing Tottenham, Newcastle and Brighton as taking a keen interest in the Romania international.
Elsewhere, Italian journalist Mirko Di Natale put Arsenal in the frame on November 13. A potential Dragusin move would share similarities with the signing of Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna in 2021.
Romano also named an English side when providing his update on the centre-back. Per the reporter, it’s actually Newcastle whose interest is the most concrete.
“Newcastle scouts recently in attendance to follow Dragusin as potential future centre-back target,” wrote Romano on X.
“But Genoa want to keep both of them [Albert Gudmunsson as well] at least until June 2024.”
Genoa’s desire to retain Dragusin beyond January was acknowledged by TMW. However, if their claim about the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ is accurate, a January transfer is possible.
The fact Romano named Newcastle and none of the others is perhaps a sign the Magpies are the one to watch for Dragusin.
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