Radu Dragusin is a wanted man in this transfer window – after Tottenham looked certain to sign the Romanian before Bayern Munich entered the race for his coveted signature.
Mail Sport reported this week that Ange Postecoglou‘s side were closing in on the signing of the Genoa centre-back in a deal worth up to £25million.
Given injuries to first-choice defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in recent months, Spurs have been keen to bolster their defensive reinforcements this month.
But now a deal for Dragusin has become complicated by a bid from Bayern Munich – and it’s clear to see why there’s so much interest when analysing the defender’s career.
Here, Mail Sport takes a look at the promising Romanian defender, who has previously likened his style to Virgil van Dijk.
Tottenham are in talks to sign central defender Radu Dragusin from Genoa for £25million – but Bayern Munich will rival them for the Romanian
Ange Postecoglou’s side are in need of defensive reinforcements in the January window
Born in Bucharest, Romania to two athletic parents, Radu Dragusin was always destined to become a top sports star.
With his father being a former volleyball player and his mother opting for basketball, it was a surprise that Dragusin sought a career in football.
However, that’s exactly what entailed and, at an early age, Dragusin joined local side Sportul Studentesc before moving on to Regal Sport Bucharest.
While there, the youngster reportedly drew interest from European giants Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and PSG before opting to sign a deal with Italian club Juventus.
The Bianconeri acted quickly and forked over £250,000 for Romania’s Under-16 captain – with Dragusin’s agent confirming that that the player was ‘a star’ after watching his early matches.
‘My brother called me and told me there’s a good young player [in Romania] and I sent him to see with his own eyes,’ Florin Manea told TMW. ‘He confirmed that initial impression by telling me he is a star, so I quickly reported to Juventus.
‘After about an hour, Matteo Tognozzi, Juventus’ chief scout, called me to say that Radu impressed everyone.
‘Other teams were interested too, but the Bianconeri really wanted him. He asked me, ‘Where can I become a great central defender?’ Chelsea wanted him too, but that’s why he chose Juventus.’
Dragusin made just four appearances for Juventus before leaving the Italian…