Tottenham Hotspur have just received a major blow as it has emerged that two of the centre-backs at the top of their wishlist ahead of the summer have both emerged as targets for Real Madrid.
Reports over the last few days have indicated that Cristian Romero has already decided to leave Tottenham this summer.
That is why the North Londoners are seemingly on the lookout for a top centre-back, with various outlets claiming that Spurs are plotting a move for Dean Huijsen, whose stock has grown considerably since his switch to Bournemouth last summer.
It has been reported that Tottenham are also keeping an eye on Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie ahead of the summer, but the Lilywhites’ pursuit of both centre-backs just got a lot harder.
Real Madrid set sights on Dean Huijsen
A report in Sport has now confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur have expressed an interest in Huijsen and reveals that the Cherries man is also on the radars of Man United and Liverpool.
However, those three Premier League clubs have now allegedly been joined in the race for the 19-year-old by Real Madrid.
The report says that Los Blancos are attracted by the €50m (£42.4m) release clause in the Spain international’s contract and are considering activating it when the transfer window opens.
Among all the centre-backs on the La Liga giants’ wishlist, Huijsen’s name has been the ‘most discussed’ internally so far.
Real Madrid and Tottenham both like Piero Hincapie plan
To make matters worse for Tottenham, Sport say that Madrid also have Hincapie in their sights, with the La Liga giants determined to add quality reinforcements to their backline ahead of next season.
Los Blancos have reportedly been impressed by the 23-year-old’s progress at Bay Arena, and they have one plan in place to win the race for his services.
It is revealed that Madrid are hopeful that if they can appoint Xabi Alonso as their head coach this summer, Hincapie will follow him to the Spanish capital.