Postecoglou delight as Sky Sports man tips Tottenham to sign brilliant Premier League captain on free transfer

Tottenham are thought to be right at the front of the queue to sign Lloyd Kelly after a massive update with an in-the-know Sky Sports presenter, who has tipped Ange Postecoglou’s side to secure a tasty free-transfer deal to sign the Bournemouth captain.

The north London giants have been the most active of Premier League sides this month, having used the January window to bring in both Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig with a view to a permanent deal, and Genoa defender Radu Dragusin in a near €30m coup. Both players made their debuts for Tottenham in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Manchester United.

Werner can certainly feel pleased with his debut, having started the match and played a part in Rodrigo Bentancur’s equaliser. You can read what the German had to say here on his return to the Premier League with Tottenham and his reaction to his debut at Old Trafford.

And Dragusin will add another quality option to their heart of their defence, with Ange Postecoglou no doubt delighted to have been able to sign the Romanian ahead of Bayern Munich, but also add him to a backline that was on Sunday able to partner Micky van de Ven with Cristian Romero for the first time together since early November.

However, elite sides tend to have four quality central defensive options to call upon and it’s fair to say Spurs could well benefit from another option, especially in light of Eric Dier’s departure to Bayern Munich.

And while Ben Davies proved a more than adequate option in their time of need, Postecoglou is reportedly on the hunt for another signing to further bolster his defensive ranks.

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Spurs plan free-transfer move for Lloyd Kelly

One man who Tottenham did seriously look at this month was Bournemouth defender Kelly.

The 25-year-old has been a consistent presence in the heart of a Cherries defence this season, skippering the side, who, having overcome a difficult start to the season, now sit in 12th place.

But with his deal due to expire this summer, Bournemouth know they face a tough task holding on to the central defender’s services, especially in light of interest from clubs higher up the Premier League food chain.

To that end, Liverpool have been among those to take note of the player, who is one of the all-too-rare quality left-footed central defensive options.

However, with the Reds deciding against a move – Jurgen Klopp’s side having also been linked with Leny Yoro and Goncalo Inacio – it seems that the race to sign Kelly is now a three-way fight.

Indeed, Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus are also keen on Kelly, though reports would suggest Postecoglou is right at the front of the queue to sign a man being tipped to earn full England honours.

We revealed last month that Bournemouth are still trying to convince Kelly to sign a new deal at the Vitality Stadium, offering him the incentive of becoming the best-paid player in the club’s history.

And while nothing is yet signed, together with Bournemouth ruling out his sale in the winter window, everything is geared up for Kelly to make a free-transfer switch in the summer.

Dharmesh Sheth backs Tottenham to sign Bournemouth man

Providing an update on the situation, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth insists Spurs are very much exploring a deal for the former Bristol City man.

“They’ve [Spurs] kept an eye on the Lloyd Kelly situation. He’s only got six months left on his contract,” Sheth told Givemesport.

“AC Milan and Juventus are talking to his representatives over a pre-contract agreement. Remember, when it comes to a pre-contract agreement, you don’t need to talk to the club, you can just talk straight to the player because the player is allowed to do that.

“There is still a possibility that Lloyd Kelly will stay at Bournemouth at least until the end of the season and maybe even sign a new contract because Bournemouth have open talks over a new deal with Lloyd Kelly, but he holds all the cards here.”

It’s easy to see why Spurs are so keen on Kelly. The defender averages 1.05 carries and successful tackles per 90 minutes this season, while also making an average of 7.37 recovering per game. Kelly also has an excellent pass record, completing 80.9% of them, with 3.82 per game helping get the Cherries up the field.

And if Spurs can convince Kelly to sign on a free, it’s a signing that would delight Postecoglou and offer him a comprehensive range of central defensive options.

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