The Sun have revealed that Tottenham Hotspur have now set their sights on Stuttgart centre-back Hiroki Ito.
Ito has progressed impressively since making the move to Stuttgart back in 2021, initially joining the club on loan before making a permanent switch a year later.
Tottenham need extra cover at left-back
The versatile defender who can operate at centre-back, left-back and has even occasionally slotted into the number six role, was a key part of Sebastian Hoeness’ set-up last season as Stuttgart secured a second-place finish in the Bundesliga table ahead of Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich.
The Sun claim that the 25-year-old’s displays have caught the attention of Spurs, who are keeping tabs on the player ahead of the summer transfer window.
Postecoglou had a track record of utilising Japanese players at Celtic
The report states that Ange Postecoglou had been aware of Ito since his time in the J League with Yokohama F Marinos, with the Spurs boss now wanting to bring the Japanese international to N17.
The Australian was certainly not shy of giving Japanese players a chance to impress during his time at Celtic with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate both catching the eye.
It is revealed that the versatile defender has a release clause which is thought to be between £21.5m and £25m in his existing contract with Stuttgart.
Ito made 29 appearances for Stuttgart last season, scoring no goals and providing two assists (transfermarkt).
Spurs Web Opinion
A move for Ito will likely mean that Ben Davies‘ Tottenham career will come to an end this summer, with the Stuttgart star being of a similar profile to the Welshman.
Davies has been a good squad player for Tottenham in recent years but is not suited to the role of an inverted full-back with his lack of pace an impact in the final third being an issue.
Destiny Udogie has firmly established himself as the main choice at left-back in the Tottenham first-team squad with the Italian’s injury at the end of last season clearly highlighting the need for reinforcements.
Postecoglou initially tried Emerson Royal in the position only for the Brazilian to struggle only to then turn to midfielder Oliver Skipp and eventually settled on Micky van de Ven to cover the left flank with Radu Dragusin partnering Cristian Romero in the middle.
The departures of Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga have freed up some space while Ange could decide to give academy graduate Alfie Dorrington a chance to impress in pre-season if he would rather spend his transfer funds on other areas of the pitch.