Tottenham transfer chief Fabio Paratici has four gettable targets to improve Spurs defence

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There looks set to be a defensive overhaul at Tottenham Hotspur this summer as new sporting director Fabio Paratici gets his hands on the side’s porous defence.

Paratici was announced as the new managing director of football on Saturday, with the club also expected to appoint ex-Roma boss Paulo Fonseca as head coach in the next week.

And Paratici’s priority, when his job officially starts on July 1, is fixing the creaky Spurs defence.

And there are four centre-back targets previously looked at by Spurs who the Italian could focus on, including Slovakia’s Milan Skriniar, who scored the winning goal for his country in their Euro 2020 opener against Poland.

Tottenham enquired about Inter Milan’s Skriniar last summer, only to baulk at the reported £45million asking price.

But Paratici may be keen on a second approach for the 26-year-old, who is adept at playing in both back four and a back three.

Former Juventus director Paratici could also look at two further talents from his time in Serie A, with Spurs potentially to enquire about both Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic and Juve prospect Merih Demiral.

The Italian director knows Demiral well from their time together in Turin, and may see the 23-year-old as a gettable target after a season of limited opportunities for the Bianconeri.

And Spurs will need to stave off Manchester United if they want to secure Serbian international Milenkovic’s signature this summer.

Tottenham are also keen on Lyon’s Joachim Andersen.

The 25-year-old impressed on loan at Fulham last season, showing that quality on the ball that Spurs are looking for as they aim to move away from the more direct style implemented by former manager Jose Mourinho.

Paratici is also said to have had a hand in Tottenham’s likely appointment of Fonseca as head coach, persuading chairman Daniel Levy that the Portuguese tactician fits the blueprint that the Spurs supremo set out earlier this summer.

“We are acutely aware of the need to select someone whose values reflect those of our great club and return to playing football with the style for which we are known – free-flowing, attacking and entertaining – whilst continuing to embrace our desire to see young players flourish from our academy alongside experienced talent,” Levy said in an open letter to the fans towards the end of last season.

“I have said it many times and I will say it again – everything we do is in the long-term interests of the club. I have always been and will continue to be ambitious for our club and its fans.

“As a club we have been so focused on delivering the stadium and dealing with the impact of the pandemic, that I feel we lost sight of some key priorities and what’s truly in our DNA.”
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