Tottenham have confirmed the signing of Radu Dragusin on a six-and-a-half year deal.
The defender becomes the second signing of the transfer window for the North London club, after former Chelsea forward Timo Werner joined on loan from RB Leipzig earlier this week.
Dragusin, 21, is believed to have moved in a deal worth £25million after rejecting an 11th-hour bid from German champions Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
The club have moved quickly to get their business done amid a string of injury problems, with defenders Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies all struggling with injuries.
Tottenham have confirmed that the Romania international will wear the No 6 shirt at the club, with the defender set to be available to face Manchester United this weekend.
Romero and Van de Ven could be involved in the squad for Spurs’ Premier League game against United, but Dragusin’s arrival means neither player now needs to be rushed back.
Manager Ange Postecoglou had been left with a dilemma after Davies, who has been playing at centre back alongside fellow full back Emerson Royal, injured his hamstring in the FA Cup victory over Burnley last week.
The Australian could now, however, be left with options to choose from with Dragusin, who has played every minute for Genoa in Serie A this season, available and Romero and Van de Ven potentially available for selection from the start.
Dragusin’s agent, Florin Manea, meanwhile, raised eyebrows by suggesting his client is targeting playing for Real Madrid in the future after admitting his shock at the rejection of Bayern Munich.
‘I was looking at a picture from when we started together at Juve, I was looking at how skinny he was,’ Manea said.
‘We are only at the beginning of the road, we want them to reach the best clubs in the world. We were close, Bayern is among the biggest clubs, but his dream is Real or Barcelona.
‘If he was 23-24 years old and had more experience, maybe he would have decided to go to Bayern, but I also took into account the age, and the competition, I took into account many things.
‘In three or four years I see him at Real Madrid.’
Djed Spence is set to move in the other direction as part of the agreement, joining the Italian side on loan for the rest of the season.
The full back was sent back to Tottenham from Championship side Leeds this month, with Whites manager Daniel Farke appearing to cite attitude problems as the reason for the termination of the loan.
Eric Dier is in Germany to complete his permanent move away from Spurs in the next few hours, with a fee in the region of £2.5million agreed for the former England man.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
