Tottenham Hotspur have made an approach to sign a £54 million attacker who Ligue 1 giants Lyon are already in talks for, with the Lilywhites prepared to compete for his signing and potentially hijack their discussions.
Spurs targeting new forwards for Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou's side are fresh off the back of a 2-1 win over Premier League champions Man City, which knocked Pep Guardiola and co out of the Carabao Cup, but there are still many issues to address after a mixed start to the campaign.
Spurs' loss to lowly Crystal Palace handed Oliver Glasner his first win of the season last weekend, and the north Londoners slumped to a disappointing 3-2 defeat at Brighton after throwing away a two-goal advantage just before the international break.
Postecoglou has also been criticised for his tactics lately, and there have even been some suggestions from many supporters that the Australian could be facing a precarious situation in regards to his job if things don't turn around on a consistent basis (Football Insider).
The January transfer window could represent an opportunity for the club's recruitment team to shore up glaring holes in Postecoglou's squad, in an effort to assist the 58-year-old's chase for a first piece of major silverware in 16 years.
It is believed Spurs are monitoring Javi Puado of Espanyol ahead of a potential January swoop, with the Spaniard impressing alongside loanee Alejo Veliz in La Liga. He could be available on a very cheap deal, considering his contract expires in the summer, or Daniel Levy could elect to sign the player on a pre-contract ahead of next summer.
Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo is a transfer target for Spurs as well, according to some reports, with the north Londoners prepared to pay as much as £50 million to seal a deal for the Ghanaian.
"He's a lovely footballer to watch", said Jamie Redknapp on Semenyo to Premier League productions.
"The manager's taken him to another level, he obviously has that capability because you saw it with Solanke. I'm just seeing him elevate his game right now, we'll talk about why does that happen, a lot of it is purely on confidence.
"He looks like he's enjoying his football, his shoulders are back, he's relaxed, every time he gets it, he plays with a bit of a swagger. He's actually a joy to watch right now."
Tottenham make approach for Rayan and prepared to hijack Lyon talks
According to South American news outlet Vascaino, Vasco de Gama forward Rayan is on Tottenham's agenda, and they've made an approach to seek information about the player's availability.
They face stiff competition from Lyon, though, who are apparently already in talks to sign the 18-year-old. However, Vascaino goes on to suggest that Tottenham are willing to compete with Lyom to sign Rayan, potentially hijacking their discussions for the highly-rated teenager.