Tottenham boss Juande Ramos has reportedly emerged as
the favourite to sign £11million-rated Giovani dos Santos from
Barcelona this summer. The 19-year-old is currently on the books of
Spanish giants Barca and is widely regarded as one of the hottest
properties in European football.
He has been forced to wait his turn at the Nou Camp, but has
been tipped for the top since bursting on to the scene at the U17
World Cup back in 2005. The Catalan club had hoped to see the
youngster become the natural heir to Ronaldinho, though he is yet
to dominate the senior game in the same manner as he did at youth
level.
Dos Santos made 28 Primera Liga appearances for Barca last
season, and scored a hat-trick on the last day of the season during
a 5-3 victory at Murcia. He has five full caps for Mexico despite
qualifying to play for Brazil through his father, himself a former
footballer, Zizinho.
His failure to hold down a regular first-team spot under Frank
Rijkaard during the 2007/08 season alerted the attention of a host
of Europe's top clubs, with Manchester City early contenders for
his signature. However, should the talented teenager decide to
leave Spain this summer it would appear that White Hart
Lane is now his most likely destination, with Spurs
expected to shell out around £11million in order to get their
man.
