Reports have emerged that Manchester City is pursuing the acquisition of Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie (23). However, it is known that Tottenham has completely blocked the possibility of a transfer.
European football transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano noted on the 10th (Korea time) that "Manchester City is considering acquiring a new fullback as one of its top priorities in this summer's transfer market and is keeping an eye on Tottenham's Destiny Udogie."
According to Romano, Manchester City's new director, Hugo Vieira, has highly regarded Udogie's abilities since he played at Serie A club Udinese, and the club is showing active interest due to his 'multi-position capability' and 'Premier League validation.'
Udogie, originally from Verona, Italy, grew up in the youth team of Verona. He later joined Udinese and signed with Tottenham in 2022, with the 2022-2023 season spent on a one-year loan at Udinese. He officially joined Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and contributed 2 goals and 3 assists in 30 matches during his first season, sharing left-sided responsibilities with Son Heung-min.
This season, he has struggled amid frequent injuries and competition for a starting position. While he started 22 of 23 league matches, he has shown inconsistency due to fitness issues and declining performance since mid-season. Rotation with other resources, such as Jed Spence, has also become frequent.
Nevertheless, Tottenham views Udogie as a core element of its future plans. John Cross, a reporter for the British 'Mirror,' reported that "Tottenham plans to reject any offers for Udogie," adding that "his value is assessed extremely highly within the club." In this regard, a source indicated that "Udogie has a long-term contract until 2030, making an immediate transfer unrealistic. As long as Daniel Levy is in charge, transfer negotiations will be very difficult."
Manchester City has fallen into poor form this season, dropping to 6th in the league and being eliminated from the Champions League, making a summer squad overhaul inevitable. In particular, with the future of starting fullback Kyle Walker uncertain, they are looking for a replacement. Udogie stands out as a left fullback with robust physicality at 186 cm and great speed, capable of fulfilling defensive duties on both flanks.
The realistic barriers are high. Udogie is still 22 years old with significant long-term growth potential, and the transfer fee is expected to be quite high. Italian clubs have already considered his acquisition but have been blocked by the high transfer fee barrier.
Romano stated that "Manchester City remains interested in Udogie, but is fully aware that it is not an easy transaction. Nevertheless, there is a possibility of approaching him again in the summer transfer market."
As Tottenham's determination to retain Udogie remains firm, attention is focused on how much financial power and negotiation strength Manchester City will demonstrate.
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