Tottenham Hotspur have set their sights on a Premier League forward after losing out on a deal for Randal Kolo Muani, with their former top January transfer target on the way to Juventus instead.
Spurs suffer North London Derby defeat as Kolo Muani joins Juventus
It's been a bad few days for Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, who suffered defeat in the North London Derby against Arsenal on Wednesday evening and lost the race to sign Kolo Muani on loan from PSG.
Son Heung-min gave the Lilywhites an early lead at the Emirates Stadium, briefly sparking hope of a sensational win on enemy turf, but two quick-fire goals just before half-time meant that Tottenham were instead handed their eleventh defeat of the Premier League campaign.
It was also Postecoglou's fourth loss from their last five top flight encounters, highlighting the severe depletion of Tottenham's first-team squad right now and just how imperative this January transfer window is to help resurrect their season.
Unfortunately for Spurs, despite trying to tempt Kolo Muani with a move to N17 "until the last moment" (Fabrice Hawkins), the Frenchman opted to swap the Parc des Princes for Turin - putting pen to paper on a loan move to Juventus.
Kolo Muani was seen by Spurs as one of the best attackers available, and their "top" target (David Ornstein), so falling short in their pursuit of the ex-Eintracht Frankfurt star will be a sore one to take for Postecoglou and co, as they now re-enter the market for new forward options.
Tottenham made contact with PSG over Kolo Muani as recently as Monday, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide. In terms of the options they're considering, one of them is believed to be in-form Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo.
Tottenham set sights on Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo
According to reliable French transfer correspondent Fabrice Hawkins, writing for RMC Sport, Tottenham are looking at signing Mbeumo and could advance on a move for the Cameroonian towards the end of this window.
They face stiff competition from other elite Premier League sides, including Man United, but the 25-year-old could be worth a potential chase given he's already bagged 13 goals in total this season and is out of contract in 18 months.
Mbeumo's contract situation won't mean Brentford will be pushovers when it comes to his price tag, though, and other reports state they could demand as much as £50 million to let him leave before February 3.