Tottenham and Aston Villa Do Battle For Prestianni Signing

· GiveMeSport

Benfica forward has started the 2026/27 season on fire

Tottenham spent big money in the summer transfer window and head coach Roberto De Zerbi is already thinking about the next big signing he can make at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ten new signings arrived in north London this summer, with more than £300million being splashed out on Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Savio, Jan Paul van Hecke and Tosin Adarabioyo, with an obligation to add to that once Omar Marmoush's loan move turns permanent next summer.

Spurs signed their first ever £100million when completing a move for Tonali from Newcastle United, with the initial £92.5million rising to the £100million mark with add-ons.

The deals for Fernandes and Savio were not far behind that either, coming in at £85million each.

And according to reports in Portugal, Spurs are lining up their next £85million signing in the form of Ginaluca Prestianni, although they will face competition from another Premier League club.

Prestianni has started the season like a house on fire, scoring five goals and laying on three assists in seven Liga Portugal games for Benfica so far this season. There has only been one game in which he has not made a goal contribution - a 2-1 win over Estoril.

His form has led to a call-up to the Argentina national side during this international break, making his full debut in the 4-0 win over Bolivia on Thursday.

Gianluca Prestianni stats

Age 20 Club Benfica Position Winger Appearances 26/27 7 Goals 26/27 5 Assists 26/27 3

And that has led to interest from Spurs, according to A Bola, as per Sport Witness . Spurs have been watching the winger closely this season, but they are not the only ones, with Aston Villa also interested in the 20-year-old.

Villa's interest is long-standing, with the Midlands outfit keen on signing him two years ago when he was at Velez Sarsfield in Argentina. Benfica won the race to sign him then and he now has a hefty release clause.

The Portuguese side are hoping to tie him down to a new contract, which currently runs until 2029 and has a release clause of €100million (£85million).

> What matters to me is that he keeps his focus on what got him to this point. If he’s playing the way he is, it’s because he worked. I’ve said more than once that he worked in an exemplary way from the first day, in his application, attitude and commitment to training - Benfica boss Marco Silva

Prestianni made headlines last season when he was caught up in an alleged racism storm involving Vinicius Junior. During a Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid, Vinicius alleged he was racially abused, with Prestianni seen addressing the Brazilian while covering his mouth with his shirt. The investigation found Prestianni used a homophobic slur , rather than a racist one and he was handed a six-game European ban.

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