Barcelona put focus on Tottenham midfield star as James Maddison injury concern revealed
Barcelona and Napoli are among the clubs hopeful of landing a Tottenham midfielder, amid injury concern over James Maddison shortly after his return to action.
Spurs have a number of midfield options available to them. Having signed Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes in the summer, they have eight players capable of playing in the middle of the park now.
Among those is Lucas Bergvall, who wanted to leave Tottenham in the summer but was convinced to stay put.
He has started only twice in the Premier League this season, though, and with Tonali and Fernandes impressing in recent games, the Swede’s game time may continue to lack.
Maddison’s form could also provide a barrier, though he was forced off in the victory over Chelsea on Saturday with an injury, and it’s as yet unknown how long he’ll be out for.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Bergvall is a target for both Barcelona and Napoli.
The Italian club are said to remain on the fence, with the battle for Bergvall – who recently penned a new Tottenham contract – said to be an ‘uphill’ one.
Barca, meanwhile, have previously been linked with the Spurs midfielder.
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James Maddison injury latest
Fellow midfielder Maddison has only just returned to the starting XI, having missed essentially all of last season with a knee injury, before a shoulder problem kept him out for a couple of games this term, meaning he was then eased back in from the bench.
The Englishman scored early on in his first start of the season, which ended up a 3-1 victory over Coventry – Tottenham’s first league win of the campaign.
But during the 2-0 victory over Chelsea in his next start, Maddison went down and was forced off the field.
It’s not yet known how long he’ll be on the sidelines, but it’s been noted that he was not on crutches when leaving the stadium – potentially a good sign.
On his injury, boss Roberto De Zerbi said: “I hope he didn’t feel a big problem, but we have to make a medical check.
“We need to do the medical check tomorrow, after tomorrow, I don’t know. I hope it’s not a big problem because he’s a special player for us. We need him.”
