Tottenham Hotspur have their eye on a £43m-rated defender as they look to continue their squad rebuild in January.
During the summer, Spurs performed as comprehensive a rebuild as we have seen any side do in a single window, with 10 new players arriving through the door and even more departing.
One of the few positions where they failed to sign sufficient cover is at right-back, with Spurs opting not to replace Djed Spence.
Archie Gray has been deployed as Pedro Porro’s main understudy in the position, but Tottenham are turning their attention to an experienced defender ahead of the January window.
Tottenham learn Juventus’ stance on Pierre Kalulu
A few days ago, it emerged that Spurs had set their sights on Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu, who has impressed at right-back for the Bianconeri at the start of the season.
The update revealed that Man United were also big fans of the versatile 26-year-old defender, who was expected to be available for around €50m (£42.9m).
However, according to Tribal Football, the Premier League clubs interested in the 26-year-old have suffered a blow, with Bianconeri keen on keeping him at the club.
The report claims that Juventus consider Kalulu to be ‘unsellable’ and that the Serie A giants have already started working on a contract extension for the player.
That means that the likes of Spurs and Man United may need to turn their attention elsewhere if they want defensive reinforcements midseason.
Could Tosin Adarabioyo do a job at right-back for Spurs?
While Tosin Adarabioyo was signed on transfer deadline day as a replacement for Kevin Danso, the Englishman has also featured at right-back in the Premier League.
Between the former Chelsea man and Gray, De Zerbi may feel that he has sufficient cover at right-back at the moment.
Spurs could put off their pursuit of the right-back until next summer, especially given that Gray has shown signs of improvement in the role the more he has played there.