Tottenham Hotspur in bid for Italian midfielder: report

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Igor Tudor, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 22, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) — Igor Tudor's team have previously been linked with the 21-year-old (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur’s aim over the next six weeks will be to ensure they are playing Premier League football next season and do not suffer what would be the most extraordinary relegations in recent history.

A point at champions Liverpool stopped the rot and ended a run of six straight defeat acorss all competitions, but under-fire interim boss Igor Tudor’s side are just one point clear of the drop zone.

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Tottenham linked with Italian international

Roma fans light up the Stadio Olimpico during the derby against Lazio in November 2023. — Last week's first leg saw Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky subbed off after just 17 minutes (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to a report from Italian outlet ASRomaLive, Spurs’ interest in Roma midfielder Niccolo Pusilli is growing following a reported €20million bid in January.

The Italian side rejected this approach, but the report adds that Spurs may look to revisit their pursuit of the 21-year-old in the summer.

One potential route to a deal could be for Spurs to propose a swap deal that involves Destiny Udogie, who has already been linked with a move back to Serie A earlier this year.

Pilsilli has enjoyed a recent upturn in fortunes after he initially struggled to break into Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, but has now played in Roma’s last 13 Serie A fixtures.

This had led to speculation that he could be set for a recall to Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy squad, ahead of the Azzurri’s play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland later this month.

Pilsilli made his Italy debut in a 2-2 draw against Belgium in October 2024 and this recent form has also seen Juventus monitor his progress, according to this report.

Should a Pilsilli-Udogie swap deal come to frution, it would be seen as a ‘double insult’ for Juve, given that they have also been linked with the Spurs defender in recent weeks.

Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has been using the midfielder more in recent weeks (Image credit: Getty Images)

In FourFourTwo’s view, speculation over a Spurs move for Pisilli - who is valued at €12million by Transfermarkt and is under contract until the summer of 2029 - would look to be somewhat premature at this stage.

Spurs are fairly well stocked when it comes to young, central midfield players and should they beat the drop this season, they will have bigger squad issues to fill and would be best served bringing in proven Premier League talents.

Talk of a swap deal involving Udogie also appears far fetched, given that the Spurs defender’s Transfermarkt value is almost three times that of Pisilli at €35million.

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For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

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