Tottenham backed to beat Arsenal in race to sign €45m striker dubbed the ‘Mexican Haaland’ | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur have been picked out as an ideal destination for Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez, who is also being linked with Arsenal.

Spurs sold Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer for a fee in the region of £100m but they opted against signing a direct replacement for the England international.

James Maddison and Brennan Johnson were both recruited for sizable fees and they have provided support for Heung-Min Son, who has been used as a centre-forward by Ange Postecoglou so far this season.

The London outfit – who have already won eight points from behind this term – have been a breath of fresh air this season and they are currently two points clear at the top of the Premier League.

They are still expected to sign a new striker during the upcoming January transfer window and they are being linked with Gimenez, who is apparently ‘the Erling Haaland made in Mexico’.

The 22-year-old has been sensational for Feyenoord this season. He has 15 goals in 12 appearances this term and he scored a brace in his Champions League debut against Lazio last month.

Former Feyenoord star Eljero Elia reckons a move to Spurs would be “good” before he makes the “final step” elsewhere.

“I do think he can take a step. A club like Tottenham, for example, would be good, if not the real top. If he can explode there again, then boom. I hope he won’t take too big a step,” Elia told Voetbal Zone (via Sport Witness).

Elia added: “How you should look at it is this, Feyenoord is slightly smaller than that club. And with all due respect, you see Vincent Janssen, he was top scorer in the Netherlands. Then he went to Tottenham and you hardly heard anything from him anymore.

“I think Giménez is still a category better [than Janssen], but I hope he makes the right and good step. You never know, maybe if he goes to a top club, it’ll work out. But I think if you take that intermediate step and you also prove that you can make that final step easier.”

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that €45m “could be the right fee” to land Gimenez in 2024.

“From what I’m hearing, something around €45m could be the right fee to get a deal done, so let’s see if that’s in the January window or in the summer,” Romano told Caught Offside.

“Tottenham scouts have been following the player since last year and surely he’s interesting for them – but also for many other clubs around Europe. This is why decisions will be made in the next month but, at the moment, no statement from the player’s father on this.”