Ikoné set for Fiorentina switch: What does it mean for Tottenham target

Tottenham’s hopes of signing Dusan Vlahovic could have received a boost in recent days.

Italian club Fiorentina has been proactive about their transfer business as they prepare for the worst and for life without Serie A top scorer Dusan Vlahovic; they are reportedly close to completing the signing of Jonathan Ikoné from Lille.

There has been no secret in Dusan Vlahovic’s situation and that he has been stalling on accepting a new deal with Fiorentina. This has led to the Serie A side considering a sale and has set his price tag @ €80m plus.

Following his decision to deny them a longer stay with a contract extension, Fiorentina and Tottenham were reportedly having discussions in London regarding a potential move for the striker.

"Immediately after the Athletic report on Commisso’s Vlahovic admission, it was publicised that Tottenham had held talks with Fiorentina’s hierarchy in London.With Arsenal’s interest growing increasingly fast, Fabio Paratici and the Spurs board will want to complete this deal before their North London rivals put in a bid — it is rumoured that a sum of over €80 million, the Gunners are willing to shoot their shot with. (Via: thetopflight.com)"

Jonathan Ikoné is not a replacement for Tottenham target

With this in mind, the Italian have taken steps to plug the hole that will eventually be left by the predicted outgoing of Vlahovic. They have agreed to sign Jonathan Ikoné for a said fee of €15m with added incentives.

However, with the news of the deal reaching its final stages soon, the club have made it clear this does not affect the future of the Serbian and his time at the club, as they still want him to sign a new deal — but we all know this is far from the truth.

If Dusan has rejected the opportunity to become the highest-paid player in the team and in the club’s history, then the certainty of him leaving is rather high.

So in actual fact, this is good news for Tottenham as well as other interested parties. If Spurs can match any of the top bidders who should be Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, then they could be the frontrunners for his signature.

Whether or not Arsenal can match I Viola’s asking price, it is yet to be seen if they can attract Europe’s top players without European football — something they are off the mark of achieving at the moment.