Tottenham Hotspur would be a dream move for reported Fabio Paratici transfer target Ruslan Malinovskyi.
What's the talk?
That's according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian journalist revealing on a recent episode of the 'Here We Go' podcast that, following a number of reports linking Paratici with a move for the Atalanta BC attacking midfielder this summer, the 29-year-old is extremely keen to secure a switch to north London prior to September's transfer deadline.
However, despite Tottenham's reported interest in the Ukraine international, Romano went on to state that, at present, Olympique de Marseille are the only club to have made a move for the playmaker - with the French outfit offering the Serie A side a player swap with Cengiz Under.
Regarding the future of Malinovskyi, the transfer insider said:
"It's true that Ruslan Malinovskyi dreams of Tottenham. He would love to join Tottenham, so on [the] player's side the message is pretty clear.
"But the only club that's made an official proposal to Atalanta is Marseille - a swap deal with Cengiz Under.
"But [on] Atalanta's side it's a no to [the] current conditions [of the offer]. So no agreement with Marseille as of now, let's see if Tottenham will decide to jump in."
Paratici's next Kulusevski
Considering just how impressive Malinovskyi has been for Atalanta following his €13.7m (£11.5m) move to Italy back in the summer of 2019, in addition to the signing of a new attacking midfielder known to be Antonio Conte's priority over the remainder of the summer transfer window, it is not difficult to see why Paratici is targeting a move for the 29-year-old.
Indeed, over his 130 appearances for Gian Piero Gasperini's side, the £25.2m-rated talent has posed something of a continuous attacking threat, scoring 30 goals and registering 27 assists for La Dea - averaging a direct goal involvement every 113 minutes of football played.
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Furthermore, according to FBref, the £21k-per-week Ukrainian also ranks in the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe's big five leagues and European competitions for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the top 3% of shots, the top 9% for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions and the top 4% for progressive passes made over the past 365 days.
For comparison, FBref rank Tottenham's own Dejan Kulusevski in the top 26% of attacking midfielders and wingers for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the bottom 36% for shots, the top 4% for assists, the bottom 45% for shot-creating actions and the bottom 37% for progressive passes over the last 12 months.
As such, when taking into account just how impressive Malinovskyi's returns have been over the last year, coupled with the fact that the 29-year-old is currently plying his trade in Serie A, should Paratici manage to get a deal over the line for the €20m (£17m) valued talent in the coming days, he could well prove to be Paratici's next Kulusevski-esque discovery from the top flight of Italian football.
And, considering the remarkable form the 22-year-old has been in for Spurs since his arrival in north London in January - having already scored six goals and registered nine assists over his 23 appearances for the club - the prospect of another Kulusevski-type signing is sure to excite the Spurs faithful and Antonio Conte alike.