Report: Tottenham Joins Premier League Rivals in Race for Barcelona's Sergi Roberto
Tottenham have joined Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea in the race for Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto - with the recent signing of Paulinho and possible arrival of Philippe Coutinho likely to limit his playing time.
With the World Cup approaching, Roberto will want as much first-team football as possible in order to try and land a place in the Spain squad, and he may find that he has to leave his boyhood club to get it.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Sergi Roberto has a release clause of €40m which could be met by a plethora of European clubs. Spurs are the most recent team to join the pursuit of the highly-rated Spaniard, after Pochettino publicly stated the need for signings.
Having initially broken through into the youth team in 2010, Roberto has struggled to find a space in the Barcelona midfield. Roberto made 32 league appearances last season, the most he has accumulated in his career - mostly coming at right-back as the Catalan side struggled to come to terms with the loss of Dani Alves.
When played in the middle of the park, he could be compared to N'Golo Kante or Ander Herrera, with the capability to read the play in front of him. The Spurs boss is also a keen admirer of his versatility, with extra depth at right-back welcome after the departure of Kyle Walker.
