Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton believes Jan Oblak would prefer a move to north London over other options.
According to the Evening Standard, Spurs have made the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper their “primary target to be their next no.1” and have already contacted him about a possible move.
With Hugo Lloris now 35 and his contract expiring in 2024, Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte are said to be considering long-term options for the position. He’s been with the club for a decade, but it appears now that the club has seriously started looking for a replacement for the Frenchman.
They may face competition for Oblak, with Manchester United also interested in the 29-year-old, but Hutton believes Spurs would have the upper hand in a transfer race.
He told Football Insider:
“I think now, the way Tottenham are and the way they’re playing under the new manager, they’re doing really well.
“They’ve got Champions League football, which is always a bonus. They’ll need a long-term successor to Hugo Lloris, he’s 35 now. Oblak could be there for the next five, six, seven, eight years and that’s probably what they’re looking for. He’s got a wealth of experience playing at a high level, so you know what you’re getting when he comes through the door. He’ll be a leader, no doubt.
“It’ll be a difficult one to try and pick. But I think if you’ve got the opportunity to go to Tottenham and be number one, he’d want to take that.
“If you go to Manchester United and De Gea’s still there, then you’re number two for the next couple of seasons, it’s not great. So that’s why he’d possibly lean towards Tottenham.”
The 6x Slovenian player of the year has established himself as one of Europe’s best goalkeepers after a stellar career with Atletico Madrid. He joined Atletico Madrid as a 21-year-old in 2014 and has since played 360 times in all competitions. Oblak has kept a clean sheet nearly every two games for Atletico Madrid, with 178 clean sheets in 361 appearances.
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