Antonio Conte has taken the next step towards bolstering his Tottenham Hotspur side in the upcoming transfer window. The north London outfit have shortlisted John McGinn as a target ahead of the summer, according to The Telegraph.
The 27-year-old has featured 33 times for Aston Villa in the Premier League this season, directly contributing to six goals from the engine room. His impressive displays have steered Steven Gerrard's side to safety from relegation, courting the interest of Manchester United in recent times.
Though, following new stewardship at Old Trafford with Erik ten Hag at the helm, reports linking McGinn to move to the Red Devils have simmered down, despite having reportedly enquired about the midfielder's services in January. Should the Scotland international, who has three years left on his current deal at Villa Park, arrive at White Hart Lane this summer, he'd become a part of Fabio Paratici's midfield rebuild, kickstarted by Rodrigo Bentancur.
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McGinn, who is believed to not be among the highest earners at Villa, is reportedly on Spurs' radar, though The Telegraph claim that Conte wants as many as six arrivals this window; a centre-back, a right wing-back, two midfielders, a forward and a backup goalkeeper. Though, should the Scotsman be among those who arrive, the north Londoner may have to fork out as much as £34m, according to CIES Football Observatory.
“Four players left in January. Four important players for Tottenham, two have arrived," Conte told Sky Sport Italia in February. "So even numerically instead of strengthening you may have, on paper, weakened."
In April, though, the Italian boss appeared to dial things back a little, stressing the impact of the two new signings. Conte said: “I said that with these two players, despite that we lost four players in January, with these two new signings we made this squad more complete, with more balance.
“I think that it’s very important in football to have a clear idea and to have a good vision. Because in this way, the situation is more simple.”
