According to rumours, Tottenham would have to pay more than £43 million to get Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu next summer. The north Londoners have made an amazing start to the new Premier League season, sitting atop the standings after winning eight of their first ten games.
Much of their recent success may be attributed to the acquisition of James Maddison, who has excelled in midfield since moving from Leicester City in the summer. Ange Postecoglou appears to be eager to add another top-tier playmaker to his squad at the conclusion of the season, with Calhanoglou allegedly being the club’s major aim.
According to InterLive, Tottenham would have a good chance of signing the Turkish midfielder next summer if two important requirements are satisfied. Spurs are thought to need to qualify for the Champions League in order to sign Calhanoglu, who has already scored four goals in 12 appearances for Inter this season.
Any prospective deal will also be influenced by the status of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who was linked with a move last summer but eventually stayed in north London. If the Dane goes and Spurs qualify for the Champions League next season, they may ‘give serious attention’ to signing Calhanoglu at the end of the current season.
He remains under contract at the San Siro until the summer of 2027 and it is said that Tottenham will need to pay at least £43.6m in order to secure his services. It remains to be seen if such a move will end up coming to fruition next summer, with plenty of variables needing to fall into place between now and then.
Spurs will be hoping for Calhanoglu to have a similar impact to Maddison if he eventually joins their squad, with the latter having firmly established himself as one of the Premier League’s best attacking midfielders. He has already registered five assists so far this season and was rewarded for his efforts with the division’s Player of the Month award in August.
Maddison’s flying start to life at Tottenham was recently hailed by Postecoglou, who said: “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised, but I’m overjoyed at the footballer I’ve got. The way he’s embraced the whole club, where he’s at in his life. He really wants to be the person.
“We’re trying to give him and the other creative players as much as the ball as possible for them to do the stuff that they love to do. I think that way definitely suits him.”