Tottenham Hotspur have opened talks with a young Guinean midfield starlet, but they face competition from closer to home for the player.
Spurs have made major changes to their midfield ahead of Roberto De Zerbi’s first full season in charge, and they have splashed the cash to do so.
Tottenham have secured Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes from Newcastle United and West Ham United respectively, for a combined fee of £185m.
However, it turns out that the Lilywhites may not be done strengthening the middle of the park yet, with one teenager catching their eye.
Tottenham and Brentford battling it out for Ousmane Diabate
The Daily Mail have revealed that Spurs are in talks with the camp of Gençlerbirliği defensive midfielder Ousmane Diabate regarding a summer switch to North London.
The 18-year-old only joined the Turkish side in December and it did not take long for him to break into the first-team and deliver impressive displays.
Diabate’s performances have caught the eye of many scouts, including those from Premier League clubs, with Spurs and Brentford reaching out to his representatives over a deal.
However, it is revealed that as things stand, the Bees are leading the Lilywhites in the race to land the Guinea international.
Do Spurs need to sign another midfielder?
Spurs are reasonably well covered in the central midfield roles at the moment, with the new signings, Tonali and Fernandes, joining Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray in their squad.
However, Bergvall continues to be linked with a move away from N17, while reports have indicated that Sarr could also be on the shop window.
It would thus not be surprising if De Zerbi’s men decide to add another young midfielder to their squad before the window slams shut.
- READ MORE: Former scout jokes that one Tottenham deal is so good, you could call it ‘money laundering’