Tottenham have ramped up their transfer activity in the last week after securing a bold swoop to sign Mohammed Kudus from rivals West Ham United.
The UEFA Europa League holders have also made a move for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, by triggering his release clause, but Forest have threatened to take legal action against Spurs for breaching Premier League rules.
Despite those issues, Spurs are continuing to identify fresh targets with Genoa’s Koni De Winter emerging as a primary option, as per the iPaper.
Tottenham have been monitoring the 23-year-old Belgian centre-back since the start of 2025 and is viewed as a perfect Cristian Romero replacement for the Lilywhites.
However, that situation has become complicated, with Romero tipped to stay with the club after Atletico Madrid and Tottenham failed to reach an agreement over a transfer fee.
While Thomas Frank holds the Argentine in high regard, he wants De Winter to be Romero’s backup, due to the latter’s injury record in recent months
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According to reports in Italy, Inter Milan are leading the race to sign the youngster, with interest from English clubs including Spurs, West Ham and Bournemouth.
The latter have identified him as the perfect replacement for Dean Huijsen, who moved to Real Madrid this summer.
Inter could also have a crucial edge in the race after developing improved relations via a loan deal for Valentin Carboni.
What has Koni De Winter said about his future?
De Winter made a name for himself in his time at the Juventus youth academy, but he never managed to cement his place in their senior team.
Tottenham are set to rival Inter Milan for Genoa centre-back Koni de Winter. (The i Paper) pic.twitter.com/kaSsN0a33X
— Transfer News Central (@TransferNewsCen) July 16, 2025
He had a couple of loan tenures with Empoli and Genoa, and the latter exercised their obligation to buy him, as he signed permanently in 2024.
De Winter’s playing style has been compared to fellow Belgian star Vincent Kompany and he admitted the Bayern Munich boss is an inspiration.
“All my life I’ve been told I play like Vincent Kompany,” he interview with iNews.
“I have this ability to make runs with the ball like he did, I have the same technical side.
“He’s a really big name, so I hope one day hope to be able to live up to him. You look at the other big names [who went from Belgium to the Premier League] and it’s only right they ended up playing in the best competitions.
“I just want to come as far as possible. It’s not that I say I have to play Premier League or the Bundesliga, I just want the best, the best for myself. The Premier League is one of the best competitions in the world, so yes, I hear some nice things.”
The Belgian is clearly open to a move to England, and with Spurs featuring in the UEFA Champions League in 2025/26, they are a lucrative destination.
De Winter will reportedly be available for £22m [$29.4m] as Genoa are ready to accept any offer in that region.
Tottenham believe securing the Belgian for an economical fee can allow them to save funds for their primary midfield target, Adam Wharton.
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