Will Mauro Icardi join Tottenham? Why Spurs move for 250-goal striker is ‘possible’ – Football Whispers Index score

Tottenham Hotspur sit bottom of the Premier League after five games, with two goals scored and no wins.

Free agent Mauro Icardi was linked with a move last month, but Football Insider reported on 21 September that Spurs have ruled it out.

The 33-year-old striker scored 16 goals for Galatasaray last season and has been unattached since his contract expired on 30 June.

Mauro Icardi to Tottenham rated ‘Possible'

The Football Whispers Index scores every transfer rumour across five weighted factors. Read how it works here.

This move was rated ‘Likely' when it was first scored in September, and the Football Whispers Index now has it at 50 out of 100.

Football Insider reported on 21 September that Tottenham are adamant they will not pursue Icardi, who is not viewed as a viable option.

The most decisive fact is the squad list, because Tom Barclay of The Sun said no free agent can be registered until the window reopens in January.

Financial viability

A free transfer means Tottenham would be negotiating only with Icardi and his representatives, with no second club to agree a valuation with.

No Tottenham offer has been reported, so Marmoush's estimated £250,000 a week only shows where the club's wage structure tops out.

Buying club need

Spurs have 4.47 expected goals from their first five league games against two actual goals, which points to a finishing problem rather than a chance creation one.

That is the kind of gap a penalty box striker is meant to close, and Icardi's 14 Super Lig goals came from 10.53 expected goals in 1,313 minutes.

Dominic Solanke scored three Premier League goals from 2.43 expected goals in 1,000 minutes last season, though Icardi's numbers came in a weaker league.

Richarlison's exclusion from the squad list leaves Solanke and Marmoush as De Zerbi's main number nine options, so the need is real, but Football Insider says the club believes its existing options are enough, which holds this score down.

Player motivation

Cronache di Spogliatoio described Icardi as a short-term solution for Spurs, which sits awkwardly with his representative's stated wish for a project of two or three years.

El Nueve's report that Icardi wants to return to Galatasaray, and has lowered his demands to do so, points him back towards Istanbul rather than north London.

A first Premier League season would still be a step up from the Super Lig, so the appeal of the league is not the obstacle here.

Selling club incentive

There is no selling club to satisfy, because Icardi's Galatasaray contract expired on 30 June and nobody holds his registration.

The absence of a fee does not make this easier to complete, since the barrier now is registration rather than a negotiation between clubs.

Market momentum

The Tottenham link started with Cronache di Spogliatoio on 17 September, and Football Insider answered four days later with the opposite report.

Fichajes' 3 October claim that De Zerbi is pushing for an out-of-window move was hedged, and Argentine media said no official offer had arrived.

TyC Sports has Lazio, Parma and PAOK among the clubs watching Icardi, and Football Insider calls Serie A his most likely destination.

Mauro Icardi to Tottenham: Will or won't it happen?

This move only becomes workable in January, when Tottenham can amend their squad list, and only if Icardi is still without a club by then.

What kills it is Icardi signing elsewhere first, with Galatasaray, Lazio and Parma all reported as options, or Spurs turning to a different striker.ts.