Tottenham Hotspur have now stepped up their interest in signing Manchester United's Harry Maguire, with the defender now emerging as one of Ange Postecoglou's top defensive targets, according to a report.
What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?
With Tottenham clearly keen on bringing in new defensive options, transfer insider Dean Jones has recently spoken to GiveMeSport to offer an update on who they could sign, saying:
“I wonder if Lenglet would be a third centre-back. Because of the terms of that one, I think it'd be such a good value signing that Tottenham could potentially be able to sign three defensive-minded players if he was one of them.
“Adarabioyo is one they’re looking at. He’s reasonably cheap as well. Van de Ven or Tapsoba is going to be the top-end signing.”
However, CaughtOffside have now reported that deals for Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven are now stalling, with Bayer Leverkusen's asking price for the former deemed to be too high, and there is a similar problem in their pursuit of the Wolfsburg ace.
Personal terms have already been agreed with the Bundesliga duo, but with complications arising over agreeing a transfer fee, Spurs could be forced to move on to other targets.
According to reports from Spain (via Football 365), Maguire is now emerging as one of Tottenham's key targets to bolster their backline, having recently stepped up their interest in signing the Man United defender.
Postecoglou wants to "focus all his efforts" on signing the England international, indicating he is now a top target for the new Spurs boss, with his days at Old Trafford now "numbered".
The 30-year-old has recently been stripped of the Man United captaincy, having falling down the pecking order at the club, potentially opening the door for a move to north London this summer.
Why was Harry Maguire stripped of the captaincy?
The centre-back has fallen out of favour under Erik ten Hag, making just 16 Premier League appearances last season, having made 30 in the previous campaign, with the United boss handing the captaincy to Bruno Fernandes, who receives more regular game time.
While the Englishman has congratulated his teammate on becoming the new skipper, the demotion will of course be very difficult to take, and that may be another reason why he seeks a move away this summer, having already been growing concerned about his Euro 2024 prospects.
Although the former Leicester City man has received heavy criticism at times, there are indications that he could be a solid signing for Tottenham, particularly considering some of his performances for England in recent times.
With an average Sofascore match rating of 7.68, the 6 foot 4 colossus was ranked as the Three Lions' second-best performer at Euro 2021, and he was also ranked as their joint-second best player at the 2022 World Cup.
There are concerns about the £190k-per-week defender's passing ability, having made a very poor error against Sevilla in the Europa League last season, but his defensive aptitude is not in doubt, ranking in the 89th percentile for blocks and 88th percentile for aerials won per 90 over the past year.
Hailed as "fantastic" by former teammate David de Gea, a fresh start could be exactly what Maguire needs to reignite his career, and Tottenham should definitely pursue a deal for the defender this summer, if he is available for a cut-price fee.
