Tottenham and Newcastle willing to pay £25m for ace who was available for £100k just 18 months ago | OneFootball

Tottenham and Newcastle are set to go head to head for a £25m-rated centre-back, though Ange Postecoglou could’ve landed him for £100,000 18 months ago.

Both Premier League sides have had a reasonable start to the 2024/25 campaign, and though they’re in seventh and 11th respectively, they’re just a few points behind Brighton and Hove Albion in fourth.

Ange Postecoglou already has concerns over one £42m man and wasn’t happy with another in their recent Europa League fixture against Roma.

Ange Postecoglou wants Abdukodir Khusanov

That could explain why the Australian is looking to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window.

According to The Telegraph (subscription required), Lens’ 20-year-old centre-back, Abdukodir Khusanov is of interest to the Lilywhites, though they apparently face competition from the Magpies to land the services of the £25m-rated ace.

Abdukodir Khusanov is challenged by Hossam Abdelmaguid. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Khusanov has seemingly earned rave reviews for his performances, and that may explain his somewhat inflated transfer fee.

He was available for just £100,000 from Energetik-BGU Minsk 18 months ago say The Telegraph, evidencing quite the financial uplift.

Given that Spurs haven’t really hit the jackpot with Radu Dragusin, Postecoglou has to get things right with his centre-back choice this time around.

When the likes of Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven aren’t available, the Australian needs to know that he has top-class talent to replace them.

Eddie Howe clearly believes that Khusanov has the ability to make the step up too, and if the Magpies also make their interest official it could spark a bidding war for the player.

It’s understood that any move for the player is likely to come as early as January, and whomever is able to secure Khusanov’s services would therefore be able to utilise his skill set in an important second half of the season.