Journalist Alasdair Gold dropped a claim on Dynamo Kyiv defender Ilya Zabarnyi and Tottenham Hotspur’s reported interest in the player.
The backline is an area that Antonio Conte looks to strengthen this summer, and there are countless central defenders linked to the north London club.
The latest name to surface is Dynamo Kyiv’s Zabarnyi.
Football.london claimed earlier this month that he is on Conte’s summer transfer wishlist, along with the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Pau Torres, Marc Guehi, Gleison Bremer, Clement Lenglet and of course, Alessandro Bastoni.
Spurs have been reportedly closely watching the highly rated Ukrainian defender and are mulling over an exciting move for the 19-year-old.
Speaking on his YouTube channel about whether a surprise name could be in the Spurs mix this summer, Gold namechecked Zabarnyi in response.
He said: “The young Ukrainian lad, I would keep a little eye on him, Zabarnyi, because I do wonder, even if it’s not Spurs, whether someone suddenly comes in for him. But I do know that Spurs are having a really good look at him as a potential signing, so maybe he’s the one.
“I guess if that was a surprise one, maybe that would be one.”
TIF Thoughts on Zabarnyi…
The Ukrainian is still only 19 but has been a regular at Dynamo Kyiv for a couple of seasons now, making 59 total appearances for the club, whilst also featuring on 22 occasions for his country, becoming a key figure at centre-back.
With Spurs competing in the Champions League next season, the 19-year-old would seemingly fit right at home. Zabarnyi played all six group stage games against Benfica, Barcelona and Bayern Munich last season, and although Dynamo picked up just one point from those fixtures, the teenager has evidently caught the eye.
However, with the Kyiv-born defender’s contract not up until 2026, his club could command a sizeable fee for the centre-back, which Spurs may not be willing to oblige with. For now, we feel their attention must be focused towards more attainable targets this summer.