Tottenham overtake PL club in the race to sign 29-year-old star after £12.5 bid rejected | OneFootball

Transfer News: Tottenham Hotspur lead Nottingham Forest in the race to sign Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi

According to Italian outlet Tutto Atalanta (h/t NottinghamshireLive), Tottenham Hotspur are now in pole position to sign Atalanta star Ruslan Malinovskyi this summer.

The Tricky Trees have also had a bid of £12.5million rejected for the 29-year-old. Spurs, however, prefer an initial loan deal for the Ukraine international as they want to offload some players in the coming weeks.

Such deals, whereby the player is loaned initially before being purchased on a permanent basis, isn’t a rarity in Serie A. Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici would know all about it, having worked together at Juventus in the past.

Billy Gilmour vies with Ruslan Malinovskyi during the FIFA World Cup 2022 play-off semi-final qualifier between Scotland and Ukraine. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The former KRC Genk midfielder is in the final year of his contract at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. Perhaps, he wants to experience English football before his playing days are behind him.

Spurs must move quick

Nottingham’s interest in him makes sense given James Garner‘s return to Manchester United this summer. He was a huge part of their promotion push last season in the Championship.

Four Spurs, Malinovskyi would add great quality and depth on the bench at a time when the club is looking to offload up to three midfielders this summer.

Ruslan Malinovskyi of Atalanta reacts during a game against Hellas Verona. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)

Giovani Lo Celso is off to Villarreal on loan, Napoli are on the verge of signing Tanguy Ndombele on a temporary basis with an option to buy, while Harry Winks is also up for sale.

The Ukrainian star has plenty of experience of playing in Ukraine, Belgium, and Italy, having played a combined 340 club games at the senior level. He is also pretty versatile and can play as a central midfielder, a number 10, and even as a second-striker.