Gary Neville has already told Tottenham to demand £100m for player rated by Pep Guardiola

Tottenham face the prospect of losing one of their key forwards this summer, but Gary Neville has suggested Dejan Kulusevski could be worth as much as nine figures. As if that wasn’t high enough praise for the Swede, even Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has voiced admiration for his talents.

Speculation is building around Kulusevski’s potential exit from north London, with Premier League rivals Aston Villa among those said to be interested. However, Napoli could present the more credible transfer threat amid talk Antonio Conte is targeting a reunion with the player he brought to England in the first place.

Calciomercato reported new Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna – who was part of Juventus’ hierarchy throughout Kulusevski’s stay in Turin – will press on with a move for the 39-time Sweden international. The player has previously praised Conte for the impact he’s had on his career, lauding him as “a very important man” in his personal development.

One can add Guardiola to that same list of Kulusevski fans, at least judging by comments he made about the player in December 2023. “What a player,” gushed the Catalan coach to reporters after ‘Deki’ scored one goal and assisted another in a 3-3 draw against his Man City side.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a similar star turn against Nottingham Forest less than a fortnight later, having a hand in both goals as Spurs emerged as 2-0 victors. And his success playing as a No10 in the absence of James Maddison led Neville to suggest his price-tag could soar as a result.

“Players that play in that role, that take it on the back foot and accept it on the back foot, the attacking midfielders, the No 10s, any player of that ilk, they’re very rare to be able to do that,” he said on Sky Sports at the time. “What we’ve seen in the last few weeks is him playing that role and become one of the rare players.

“You’re talking about him going from a player who might be £50million on the right to being something that if he gets going in that No 10 position, can be really special and then you’re pushing it to an £80m or £100m player.”

Neville did go on to clarify that valuation was strictly a potential price contingent on Kulusevski sustaining such levels in the long term. The player ultimately finished last term with eight goals and three assists, with two of those finishes coming against Sheffield United on the last day of the season.

It’s understood Napoli would be targeting Kulusevski to bolster their right flank, with Jesper Lindstrom understood to have agreed a move to Everton, initially on loan. However, his obvious ability to function well in a more central role could come in handy.

Guardiola’s praise for Kulusevski was particularly valid as he highlighted the Swede’s success against Nathan Ake, one of City’s most consistent performers last season. However, he would almost certainly be out of Napoli’s price range if Tottenham’s valuation of the star was close to aligning with Neville’s own.

Kulusevski joined Spurs from Juve on loan in January 2022 before the north Londoners eventually made the move permanent for a total spend of around £40m the following year. Tottenham are under no obligation to sell considering the player is contracted until 2028, but Daniel Levy could be looking to double the club’s investment if a sale does materialise.