Tottenham agree €70m Kulusevski & Bentancur double deal

FT Desk

30 Jan 2022 16:30 GMT
3 min read

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a double deal with Juventus that will see Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur arrive for a combined fee of potentially €70 million, according to multiple sources in Italy and England.

Article continues under the video

Spurs have been in the market all month to strengthen their midfield and attack but transfer chief Fabio Paratici has missed out on a number of his primary targets, including new Liverpool purchase Luis Diaz from Porto.

But with the end of the January transfer window approaching, Paratici has negotiated a double deal with his former club Juventus.

Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski arrives on an initial 18-month loan deal worth around €10m. That loan will then become permanent for a final fee that could reach a total of €45m if certain objectives and appearance numbers are reached. One of these objectives is Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Uruguayan central midfielder Bentancur joins Tottenham for €19m plus €6m in add-ons. Bentancur’s former club Boca Juniors will receive around 30 per cent of that figure.

Bentancur and Kulusevski fail to make Juve grade

Bentancur arrived at Juventus in 2017 but despite showing promise at times, he never developed into the player they hoped he would. This season the 24-year-old, who has won 46 caps for his nation, has fallen down the pecking order.

© ProShots - Kulusevski was Serie A Young Player of the Season in 2020

Kulusevski, meanwhile, was signed by Juventus for €35m in the summer of 2020 from Atalanta after being named Serie A Young Player of the Season while on loan at Parma.

But the 21-year-old has proved to be a big disappointment in his 18 months in Turin. This season he has just two goals in 27 appearances in all competitions.

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte tried to sign Kulusevski while he was manager of Inter, but the wideman rejected the Nerazzurri in order to move to Juventus.