In an effort to inject pace and guile into in their ageing midfield, Perennial Premier League title challengers Manchester City are believed to be planning a move to sign Tottenham Hotspurs’ sensational midfield general Dele Alli.
The 20-year-old wonderkid is thought to be in the radar of La Liga giants Real Madrid, with Los Blancos confident they’d be able snap up the English midfielder from Spurs once the transfer window re-opens in the summer, no matter the cost.
However, it appears the 11-time Champions League winners may now have a rival in the race to acquire Dele Alli’s signature. True enough, according to the Daily Express, Manchester City have added themselves in the mix, with the Citizens willing to break to transfer record in order to land Alli.
The current transfer record is held by City’s fiercest rivals Manchester United, when they signed Paul Pogba last summer for £89m.
The two colossal clubs’ admiration for the former Milton Keynes Don is understandable. After all, the Spurs midfielder has been in phenomenal form for his club this season, scoring 13 goals and notching 5 assists in 32 appearances across all competitions so far.
In terms of contributions to the game other than goals, Alli has an average pass success rate of 79.4% in the league, and has won the man of the match twice. Just recently, he was named the Premier League Player of the Month for January.
The silky midfielder is clearly a player with limitless potential, and Manchester City may well be serious in their chase for the footballer’s signature. True enough, Alli is an England international, and recent history has shown City are willing to pay top dollar to bring home-grown players to their ranks, even if such players’ talents are dubious: the purchase of Fabian Delph from Aston Villa in July of 2015 for £8m is a case in point.
City also have the resources to pull off such a massive transfer. They would have no qualms splashing the cash on Alli if it meant success on the pitch come next season.
Regardless, the prospect of Real and City battling each other on the transfer table will be a fascinating and surely entertaining watch.
Dele Alli’s contract with Spurs is set to expire in 2022.