Tottenham could be set for a battle off the pitch as well as on it against AC Milan as both clubs are hoping to sign Lecce midfielder Joan Gonzalez. The 21-year-old has impressed in Serie A this season with four goal contributions in 22 appearances with Lecce enjoying a steady campaign in Italy sitting 13th, 10 points clear of the drop zone.
The two teams have already come to blows in recent weeks after they were drawn to face each other in the Champions League round of 16. The first leg, played at San Siro, was won by Milan with Brahim Diaz scoring an early goal to hand the Italians the advantage.
The second leg is set for March 8 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Antonio Conte will be hoping his players can overturn the deficit with the Spurs boss likely to be absent. Conte underwent significant surgery last month but was back in the dugout for the clash against Leicester.
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Following the defeat to Milan, Tottenham confirmed that Conte was set to remain in his home country to continue his recovery, with assistant coach Cristian Stellini assuming first-team responsibilities.
The clash in early March between the two sides will be key to their respective seasons and the winner could give themselves the upper hand when trying to sign Gonzalez. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Spurs and Milan are both interested in signing the Spaniard who spent his youth career at Barcelona.
Graduating from the Catalan clubs famous La Masia academy, which has produced some of the greatest footballers of all time, including Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta. After leaving Barcelona, Gonzalez joined Lecce last summer.
The report also states that Conte’s men are keeping a close eye on Gonzalez and that his value has now risen to around €8m (£7m) in light of his displays this season.
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