Tottenham appear ready to do battle with their North London rivals once again as they attempt to strengthen their defence in the transfer window.
Spurs missed out in the race with Arsenal to sign William Saliba this summer, but the club are now turning their sights to another player who is interesting the Gunners, Dayot Upamecano.
Rated as one of Europe’s best defenders, Bild in Germany reported that Arsenal had a bid in excess of £40million turned down for the talented young defender in the summer, with RB Leipzig said to be looking for a figure closer to £70million.
Now according to Football London, Arsenal will be joined by Tottenham and Manchester City in the race to secure his in-demand signature.
The lure of Champions League football will surely benefit Tottenham if they have to battle with just Arsenal for his signature, but the presence of Manchester City in any race would complicate things. City certainly need defensive reinforcements and with their significant financial muscle, Spurs would surely struggle to compete. But Mourinho will be keen for them to do so, if he is to take Spurs to the very top.
Despite being just 21 and yet to receive a cap for his country, Upamecano is widely regarded as being fairly experienced for his age and offers a commanding assured presence in defence. With Tottenham currently possessing several defenders heading towards the end of their careers, signing Upamecano would help bring the average age of that area of the squad down and their interest in Saliba shows they are looking for a young player in that area of the squad.
