Tottenham Hotspur agree £16.5m Radu Dragusin transfer to Fiorentina

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £16.5m deal for defender Radu Dragusin to join Italian side Fiorentina following a lack of first-team opportunities.

The Romanian international will initially move on loan for a £1m fee, with an obligation to make the transfer permanent next year for a further £15.5m.

The Serie A club will also cover the centre-back’s wages in full for the duration of the initial loan period.

The 22-year-old requested a departure from north London this summer after struggling to secure regular minutes last season.

Falling down the pecking order

The lightning-fast defender had slipped further out of contention following a significant summer recruitment drive by manager Roberto De Zerbi.

Spurs have embarked on a major squad rebuild, bringing in fellow centre-backs Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke to compete with established starters Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

This influx of defensive talent left the former Juventus prospect with little prospect of meaningful game time in the upcoming campaign.

The Florence-based club had previously attempted to secure his signature during the January transfer window but saw their approach rebuffed by the Premier League side.

Clearing out the squad

Dragusin’s impending exit marks the end of a two-and-a-half-year spell in the English capital.

He is expected to travel to Italy early next week to complete his medical examinations and finalise the paperwork.

His departure follows the £50m sale of Luka Vuskovic to Brighton as De Zerbi continues to trim his extensive squad ahead of the new season.

Tottenham have heavily backed their Italian manager in the market, sanctioning big-money moves for Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali alongside several defensive reinforcements.