Tottenham and Aston Villa neck and neck in race for Leeds midfield target
Latest reports indicate Tottenham and Aston Villa are both in contention to sign Mikkel Damsgaard, but Leeds are not mentioned as being in the running.
Damsgaard, 21, announced himself to the footballing world at Euro 2020. Despite making just two starts for Denmark before the summer, he featured heavily in his country’s journey to the semi-finals. Along the way he bagged a goal and an assist before scoring a stunning free-kick in the 2-1 loss to England.
His impressive tournament coupled with a solid debut season in Serie A with Sampdoria has attracted significant attention.
A number of Premier League sides have been credited with an interest, including Merseyside pair Liverpool and Everton.
More recently it has been their counterparts Tottenham, Villa and Leeds who have been linked with a move.
A fee of €35m was set and it looked as though it was Dean Smith’s men who were set to win the race.
An offer has not yet materialised. But a new update has been provided by Italian newspaper Calciomercato.
They report (via Sport Witness) it is Villa and Spurs who are ‘in first place’ for the midfielder’s signature.
Notably, there is no reference to Marcelo Biesla’s side. A recent report suggested they have the opportunity to make a move if they wanted to.
Perhaps the increase in the fee, which was originally €25m, has put them off the young prospect.
A trio of Italian sides are also mentioned in this latest piece. AC Milan, Roma and Juventus are the three teams in question.
However, it is claimed they would all struggle to muster the asking price that Sampdoria have set on their asset.
Sampdoria president angles for Damsgaard move
Interestingly, their president has urged Jose Mourinho’s side to make a move for Damsgaard.
Massimo Ferrero, who is a Roma fan, argued they should sign him because he is better than Granit Xhaka, who was their main midfield target this summer.
“Damsgaard is the player Roma need,” Ferrero said.
“If they call me up we can talk about it and find an agreement. He’s better than Xhaka.
“Damsgaard is a quality player, he can even play in front of the defense. So let’s get together, all I’m waiting for is a phone call and we can find a solution.
“Xhaka’s not coming to Roma, so they’re still missing a player in the middle of the pitch.
“I want him to go to Roma. I am a Romanista and Damsgaard would be a great reinforcement.”
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