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Tottenham plot proactive move for Dembele successor

By Rucker Haringey

MAINZ, GERMANY - APRIL 05: Naby Keita of Leipzig celebrates his team's third goal during the Bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and RB Leipzig at Opel Arena on April 5, 2017 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Simon Hofmann/Getty Images)
MAINZ, GERMANY - APRIL 05: Naby Keita of Leipzig celebrates his team's third goal during the Bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and RB Leipzig at Opel Arena on April 5, 2017 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Simon Hofmann/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham are plotting a summer swoop for Naby Keita

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino knows Mousa Dembele can’t hold down the Spurs midfield forever. That’s why Spurs are working to secure his replacement this summer. RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita could be the perfect addition to Pochettino’s squad.

It’s easy to forget that Dembele isn’t as young as the rest of the stars that surround him in the Spurs squad. The talented Belgian isn’t old, but he will turn 30 years of age this summer. That means it’s time for Tottenham to start contemplating life without him.

That’s what excellent clubs do. They don’t wait until a player starts to decline to secure his replacement. That’s why Tottenham want to bring Keita in this summer. The Mirror reports that Tottenham will battle Liverpool and a host of other clubs for his services during the summer transfer window.

Leipzig want to keep Keita in Germany, but he’s believed to be open to a move to England. His current deal with the Bundesliga upstarts runs through 2020, but the wages would be easy to top by any large Premier League club. Add it all up, and Keita should be available for a transfer fee of somewhere around £25 million.

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That might seem like a hefty fee for a player who’d likely be a backup at first, but that’s the sort of investment Spurs need to make for Champions League football. Acquiring Keita would give Pochettino the option to rest Dembele at various points in the season. For all of the Belgian’s brilliance, he does have a propensity to pick up his fair share of injuries.

One of the most interesting things about Keita is that he does something Dembele usually doesn’t. He manages to score goals from the defensive midfield. He’s found the back of the net eight times this season for Leipzig and four of his goals have come from 13 starts in the double pivot. Keita’s also managed to notch an impressive seven assists on the campaign as well.

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Naby Keita would be an excellent summer addition for Tottenham. He could serve as a deputy for Dembele while also giving Pochettino a lot more tactical flexibility. He may not be a household name, but he’s one Spurs fans should be watching out for.

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