Tottenham’s Interest in Aleksandar Stankovic Sparks Debate Amidst His Rising Stardom

Aleksandar Stankovic, a promising talent in European football, is making waves in his debut season, though Tottenham’s reported interest in the young player has raised some eyebrows.

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The 20-year-old midfielder, whose father Dejan Stankovic is a celebrated figure at Inter Milan, has made significant strides after departing his father’s former club to carve out his own path at Club Brugge.

Stankovic is now on the radar of Premier League clubs as he continues to impress with his performances.

Having captained Inter Milan’s youth team, Stankovic took a bold step last summer by leaving Serie A without playing in the senior team. His move to Brugge has proven successful, with the midfielder racking up 26 appearances, contributing a goal and an assist this season.

Notably, Stankovic played the full match in Brugge’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Barcelona and was also part of Serbia’s squad in their 2-0 defeat to England last month.

Stankovic was emboldened to depart Inter by the success of his older brother Filip, who is currently impressing at Serie B side Venezia.

Dejan Stankovic’s sons leave Inter

“You guess that him and his older brother, Filip, presumably had similar advice from dad,” European football expert Andy Brassell said.

He added to talkSPORT.com: “Either that or they’re young men who very much know their own mind, perhaps a bit of both.

“Both brothers came through the Inter Academy, and both have decided to go and make their career elsewhere, despite both having admirers at Inter and both being valued by Inter as well.

“Now, for Aleksandar, it’s clear that this has been a really good decision for him.

“You look at the amount of players moved, not just through Club Brugge, and the fact that getting to play in the Champions League as well is a big deal. But he’s seized his opportunity really well.

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Stankovic scored on his debut for Serbia in October and played against England a month later[/caption]

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He has been cutting his teeth against Champions League heavyweights as well[/caption]

“I think if you look at their mix that they have between young players and more experienced players, they’ve got the right elder players in there to really guide.

“Simon Mignolet is one of those, for a start. Hans Vanaken, who has been there for ages now, can really help those young players as well.

“But Stankovic has obviously got a huge amount of quality. He’s tough. He doesn’t really give the ball away.”

Tottenham interested in Aleksandar Stankovic

Recent reports from Italy claim that both Spurs and Newcastle are keen on signing the midfielder, who has a buyback clause with Inter.

Cristian Chivu’s side can trigger a buy-back clause of €23million [£20.33million] in 2026, having sold him for under £9m last July.

And Brassell questioned why Tottenham would be rivals for Stankovic’s signature, with Joao Palhinha already on their books.

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Dejan Stankovic’s sons, Filip and Aleksandar, both spent time at his old club’s academy[/caption]

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Inter retain an option to buy Stankovic back next summer[/caption]

Thomas Frank‘s men still have the option to make the Portuguese’s temporary stay from Bayern Munich permanent for around £27m.

On Stankovic, Brassell told talkSPORT: “When you look at those clubs that have been linked with him, I don’t know why Spurs would want another of that type of midfielder, if I’m being perfectly honest.

“He’s a better set-piece deliverer than either Palhinha or [Rodrigo] Bentancur. But I think you look at them and think, do they need another player like that?

“Unless they’re not keeping Palhinha, presumably. Maybe that’s part of it. But he’s developing really, really quickly as well.”

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Dejan Stankovic is the only player to have played for three different countries at the World Cup[/caption]

Watch out for his Filip Stankovic

“It is also worth keeping an eye on Filip, his older brother. He’s a goalkeeper, and he did really, really well on loan at Venezia last season.

“They were almost able to stay up in Serie A. He had a huge influence on that.

“Funnily enough, he’s probably not a big goalkeeper by modern standards. He’s six foot two.

“But he does have that presence about him, almost Schmeichel-esque in that sense. Really great shot stopper, dominates the area.

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Filip Stankovic – pictured with his father – has made a name for himself at a different Italian club[/caption]

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The 23-year-old is joint top of the clean sheet standings with seven from 14 Serie B matches[/caption]

“And he got them some surprising results that kept them in the hunt for staying up longer than probably they should have done with the sort of team they had.

“Now, he’s signed permanently for Venezia this summer. They are pushing to get promoted. They’re in the top six.

“So it could be a big season for both of the Stankovic brothers.”