Conte targets £60m striker as first Tottenham signing

Antonio Conte wants Tottenham to sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, according to reports in Italy, according to Metro.co.uk.

The former Chelsea manager is set to be officially unveiled as Spurs’ new head coach on Tuesday after reaching an agreement on an 18-month contract worth up to £15 million per season.

Tottenham have moved quickly to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked on Monday morning less than 48 hours after the 3-0 loss at home to Manchester United.

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The result has left Spurs with five defeats out of their last seven Premier League games, while Conte is tasked with immediately improving a team who have scored just nine goals in 10 league games so far.

Spurs had made an attempt to recruit Conte in the summer but a disagreement over the club’s transfer policy played a part in talks breaking down.

But according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Conte has now been assured by Spurs that the squad will be strengthened in January and the Italian has earmarked Vlahovic and Kessie as two key signings he wants.

The report also claims that Dutch centre-back Stefan de Vrij, who Conte managed at Inter, and Lazio right-back Manuel Lazzari, are also on Spurs’ shortlist ahead of the January window.

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Vlahovic has been one of Serie A’s leading strikers for Fiorentina with 29 goals in his last 48 league appearances.

Fiorentina have already confirmed that the 21-year-old will not be signing an extension to his current contract, which expires in 2023, and are understood to be holding out for a fee in the region of €70 million (£59.5m) for the Serbia international.