Tottenham Reportedly Agree Deal for Boca Juniors Starlet as Mauricio Pochettino Raids Homeland

Tottenham have reportedly agreed a deal to sign 24-year old Wilmar Barrios from Boca Juniors.

Mauricio Pochettino is a keen admirer of the 24-year-old defensive midfielder and reports from South America suggest he personally sought out the player to add him to their ranks.

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Barrios is currently with the Colombian national team in Russia, preparing for his side’s first Group H game against Japan on Tuesday. Reports first surfaced in Argentina with both Radio Mitre and Antena 2 reporting that a deal could be completed this summer.

Barrios moved to Boca Juniors for just £2.4m from Colombian side Deportes Tolima in 2016 and has won two league titles. He made 23 appearances in 2017/18 and his impressive performances have led to interest from a number of European clubs.

And with Mousa Dembele ready to leave Spurs this summer, Pochettino will be in the market for a defensive midfielder ready to compete with Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama for a starting spot.

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26-year-old Wanyama suffered a knee injury at the beginning of last season and hasn’t been convincing since returning to the first team. With Borussia Dortmund monitoring his situation, the signing of Barrios would make sense for Pochettino.

Barrios is certainly a player who has the potential to flourish under the Argentinian manager. His passing accuracy of 84.4% and 51 passes per game as well as his impressive tackling and intercepting stats suggest he could be a key player for Spurs in the future.