Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are closely monitoring prolific Monza forward Gustavo Varela ahead of a possible transfer, according to TEAMtalk.
Several footballers have been signed for relatively modest fees, gone on to make a significant impact and eventually commanded much higher transfer fees.
In recent seasons, we have seen players such as Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres make that journey, moving from Brighton & Hove Albion to Coventry City, where he scored 40 goals across his final two seasons before joining Sporting CP for a club-record fee.
Moises Caicedo, Andy Robertson and Marcus Thuram are other notable active players who fit that category, with all three now playing important roles for their respective clubs.
The latest name that is proving to be the best bargain in recent campaigns is Varela, who joined Monza from Benfica B for just £1.6m and a further €1.2m in add-ons.
The 21-year-old has been in terrific form since moving to the Stadio Brianteo in the summer, with his recent goal in the 2-1 defeat to Bologna last Saturday taking his Serie A tally to nine goals, the most in the league. The goal also took his overall contribution in this campaign to 12 in 10 games.
Such prolific form will undoubtedly attract interest, with TEAMtalk reporting that Tottenham and Chelsea are among several clubs showing interest in Varela.
Fierce battle
The report adds that the London duo were present at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara last Saturday to watch the youngster in action for Monza.
However, Tottenham and Chelsea are set to face fierce competition from Arsenal, who have been impressed by the Portuguese, while other clubs, including Newcastle United, Brighton, Brentford, Fulham, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, are also showing interest in Varela, as per the report.
Monza currently sit 18th in the Serie A table and risk relegation unless Ivan Jurić can turn their poor form around, particularly after three consecutive defeats.
Under normal circumstances, the club would prefer to keep Varela for at least another season, having signed him only recently. However, their struggles…
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