German publication Kicker claim that Spurs are set to fall short in their attempts to sign versatile defender Matthias Ginter from Borussia Dortmund over the summer transfer window.
The report from Kicker suggests that Ginter has chosen to move to fellow German club Borussia Monchengladbach instead of making a move to the Premier League. Ginter was on international duty with Germany in the Confederations Cup and played the full ninety minutes in the 1-0 win over Chile in the final on Sunday. Now, having completed international duty, the 23-year-old is reportedly to get a move to Monchengladbach secure as soon as possible.
Previous reports have suggested that Spurs had made an inquiry for the German international, and were prepared to pay up to £18m to secure his services ahead of the new season. However, with the player reportedly already deciding his future, Spurs will not get a chance to talk Ginter into a move to London.
The Borussia Dortmund man is very versatile. He can play in any of three positions; centre-back, right-back or defensive midfield. Remind you of somebody in the Spurs squad? Yes, Eric Dier.
Would he have been a good signing?
It is always brilliant to have these versatile players in the squad such as Eric Dier, and we have seen over the last couple of years how useful he has been to the squad, slotting into many different positions in his time at the club. Ginter is a very similar player to Dier, and would have been a useful signing.
Kyle Walker may leave the club this summer to move to Manchester City, leaving Kieran Trippier as the only right-back at the club. This is one of the positions that Ginter could have slotted in to. Kevin Wimmer, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Eric Dier are the only players at the club that can play at centre-back, and again this is a position that Ginter could have occupied.
The signing of Ginter or somebody very similar would become essential if Eric Dier was to leave the club this summer, but the Englishman was included in the new Nike kit release, how much we can read into this I do not know.
Yes, Ginter would have been an excellent signing for Spurs, adding to the squad depth that is so desperately needed to challenge for trophies in England, and would have allowed for more rotation in the squad without the cost being unreasonably high at around £18m.
