Tottenham to battle Liverpool for Ligue 1 defender, is it a good deal?

Bengaluru, February 25: Tottenham Hotspur are set to battle it out with Liverpool and Inter Milan for the signature of Lille defender Sven Botman in the summer, according to reports in England.

After shining in Ligue 1 at the heart of Lille's impressive defence, Botman has become a subject of interest from clubs across Europe over the last few months and now Spurs have also joined the chase for the Dutch youngster.

And, it has been claimed that the Lilywhites are willing to meet Lille's valuation of £40 million for the 21-year-old. Botman has emerged as one of the most promising centre-backs in Europe in Lille colours this season after previously spending 11 years with Ajax where he failed to make the grade.

He was signed for just £7.8 million in the summer of 2020 by Lille and what a signing it has turned out to be. The Ligue 1 side are leading the Ligue 1 table this season with a four point lead over favourites Paris Saint Germain and a three point lead over Lyon and their impressive defence is the key reason behind it.

Lille have only conceded 16 goals in 26 league games this season and Botman has played an integral role behind that. He has helped his side to keep 13 clean sheets and that is currently the highest number of clean sheets by any central defender in Europe's top five leagues.

The Dutchman has also been ever-present for Christophe Galtier's side across all competitions which shows how much of a crucial role he is playing for the Les Dogues.

Blessed with a massive frame of 6 ft 4 in, Botman has all the must have attributes of a central defender. He is big and strong and quite naturally, he excels aerially which is something one needs to succeed in the Premier League. The 21-year-old has won an average of 3.1 aerial duels per game which is pretty impressive.

Jose Mourinho is a manager who works really hard on making the most out of set-piece situations and Botman, with his aerial prowess, can prove to be a deadly weapon for the Portuguese if he eventually moves to north London.

The Dutchman is also excellent on the ball and can spray passes, be it long or short, with relative ease. The 21-year-old has maintained a passing accuracy of 85.3% this season which is fairly impressive considering the fact he tend not to play just simple safe passes and that is evident from his average of 3.8 long balls per game.

Spurs have struggled defensively this campaign and it is pretty evident that they need fresh talent at the heart of the defence and Botman seems like a player who would improve their defence significantly.