EXCLUSIVE: Tottenham eye Maddison competition as club targets Villarreal attacker

Steve Kay

• Updated: 14 May 2024 13:17 BST
• 3 min read

Exclusive

Tottenham are eyeing a move for Spanish midfielder Alex Baena of Villarreal during the upcoming summer transfer window, FootballTransfers can reveal.

Baena has been making waves in La Liga over the past year, gaining attention as one of the league's top young talents.

We are told that the North London club are drawn to the fact that the Spain international's versatility means that he is capable of playing on either flank—a position where Tottenham has faced challenges this season due to inconsistent performances from Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski, as well as uncertainty surrounding the future of captain Son Heung-min.

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Baena can also excel in the No.10 role, offering valuable cover for the occasionally injury-prone James Maddison, who has featured in just 26 of the possible 36 Premier League games so far this season for Ange Postecoglou's side.

Baena's agent is Joshua Barnett, of CAA Base, who also represents Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze, another player Spurs are closely monitoring, as was exclusively reported by Football Transfers earlier this week.

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How much is Alex Baena worth?

FootballTransfers' Estimated Transfer Value algorithm ranks Baena at €23.1 million, while he is contracted to the Yellow Submarine until June 2028, having signed fresh terms last summer.

The 22-year-old has scored five goals and provided 17 assists in the 43 matches he's appeared for Villarreal across all competitions. He started in the club's youth setup before being promoted, along with Chelsea striker Nicholas Jackson, to the first-team in 2022. Despite his young age, Baena has already featured in 108 games for Villarreal.