Spurs pushing to sign all-action French midfielder in late winter window dash

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly ‘sounded out’ French outfit Lens over a deal to sign one of the best young midfield talents in Ligue 1 before the winter transfer window shuts.

The north London outfit are pushing hard to try and get deals over the line before Monday’s deadline but have so far failed to add to their lone capture of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in early January.

With Ange Postecoglou’s injury-hit squad remaining stretched, Tottenham have so far failed in their attempts to land Randal Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel and Fikayo Tomori this month, with all three players turning down moves to the capital.

The club are reported to have hijacked Aston Villa’s move for Chelsea central defender Axel Disasi, while a separate report claims that Daniel Levy is ready to bring forward proposed summer moves for Tyler Dibling and Angel Gomes in order to give Postecoglou’s squad some much-needed respite.

While signing another central midfielder is not exactly a massive need at the current time, a fresh report from GiveMeSport states that Tottenham have switched their focus to Lens star Andy Diouf – as a move for Gomes might prove trickier to pull off.

The 21-year-old has emerged as one of the best young midfielders in French football over the last 18 months, with his all-action style compared to that of current Spurs star Pape Sarr.

Diouf has featured in a number of different midfield roles, including as a number six, a box-to-box role and as an attacking number eight and has also been on Manchester City’s radar in the past.

GiveMeSport claims that Tottenham have now ‘sounded out’ the Lens man over a late move to N17 before the window closes, while there is ‘still optimism’ that some business will be done before the cut-off point.

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Tottenham facing rivals for Diouf signature

It’s not the first time that Tottenham have been linked with Diouf, with the player having previously been tracked by club scouts. However, it’s reported that London rivals Crystal Palace are also keen on his services.

As for Lens’ willingness to do business before the deadline, the report adds that the Ligue 1 outfit are reluctant to allow the France Under-21 international to leave mid-season – although could be tempted if a significant offer is made.

There is no mention of what sort of fee could be involved, with Diouf currently valued at €10million (£8m / $11m) – although it will almost certainly be more than that, given his age and the fact that he still has three years left on his contract.

Diouf has scored one goal and also added an assist in 23 appearances in all competitions for Lens this season, starting 19 of those outings.

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