Tottenham Hotspur are seeking to bolster their defence as a first port of call in this newly-opened summer transfer window…
What's the latest on Roger Ibanez to Tottenham Hotspur?
That's according to reports in Italy, as Sportitalia note that Ange Postecoglou has taken a particular interest in AS Roma centre-back Roger Ibanez.
Whilst it is claimed that they are not the sole team to have taken an interest, they are the only ones explicitly mentioned within the report.
A fee of around €40m (£34m) continues to be touted, as the Brazilian defender has just two years remaining on his £32k-per-week deal.
Would Roger Ibanez improve Cristian Romero?
Only five clubs last season conceded more goals than Spurs, three of which got relegated.
For all the defensive security Antonio Conte's appointment promised, it arguably made them weaker than ever at the back. They just could not soak up pressure like his teams of old, and as such just left a threadbare back-line open to wave after wave of attack. Eventually, they were bound to concede a few.
Cristian Romero has been one of the few shining lights since his move to north London in 2021 however, and yet even he struggled to offset the consistent shipping of easy goals last campaign. He still retained an admirable personal year in the league though, maintaining a 6.97 average rating.
However, his peak from the season before even that is a fairer estimation of his talents, and the assets that could fuse so perfectly with Ibanez, should Postecoglou make him his first signing this summer.
The Argentina international would uphold a 7.15 average rating that term in the league, sustained through an 87% pass accuracy, 64% dribble success rate and 2.4 tackles and 3.3 clearances per game, via Sofascore. He was defensively unstoppable and offered plenty with his build-up.
Fortunately for the 25-year-old, who has been both praised and lambasted for his abrasive and rash tendencies, the presence of a stable and calming influence like Ibanez could offer the balance needed to stabilise their otherwise shaky back-line.
Under Jose Mourinho's tutelage last season, the 24-year-old maintained a 7.00 average rating in Serie A alongside an 88% pass accuracy and two interceptions, two tackles and 2.8 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
Such imperious form even led his legendary Portuguese manager to label him as "untouchable".
With a couple of South American stoppers hell-bent on keeping the ball out of their net, the duo could combine to shore up Spurs' defence under Postecoglou with passion, solidity and a touch of quality wrapped into one outstanding pairing.