Tottenham Hotspur have been told that they will need to pay £25 million to sign West Bromwich Albion star Saido Berahino, reports the Daily Express.
The 21-year-old has also been linked to Arsenal [Daily Star], which may have given the Baggies the confidence that they can demand an astronomical price for the youngster. Last season he scored 20 goals in 45 games, but four of those came in a 7-0 cup win over non-league Gateshead. and several also came from the penalty spot.
Not only are his goalscoring exploits hindered by caveats, but the player has been criticised for his conduct off the field.
The player was caught taking laughing gas not once [Daily Mirror], but twice [Daily Mirror]. Manager Tony Pulis also put him ‘on the naughty chair’, after the England Under 21s ace claimed he ‘hoped to move on to bigger things’ [BBC].
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This may put off interested sides, with problems away from the pitch unlikely to be wanted by either Mauricio Pochettino or Arsene Wenger. However, both managers are in need of new strikers.
Spurs need a player to support Harry Kane, with the club trying to offload both Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado according to the Express. The England international also can’t be expected to score 21 goals every league season, as he managed during a magnificent 2014-15 campaign, and will need some help to shoulder the burden in the future.
Meanwhile, the Gunners could desire a forward to spearhead their Premier League title challenge.
There are doubts over Olivier Giroud against the top teams, and their current crop of reserves have little experience of playing centrally on a regular basis. However, Berahino may not be an improvement on their striking options, with Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema, who has also been linked by the Metro, possibly a more appropriate target.