Tottenham leading race for "extraordinary" midfielder, planning £21m offer

Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to sign an “extraordinary” midfielder this summer and have a £21m bid in the works, according to a report.

Tottenham keen to strengthen in multiple areas

Amid their ongoing injury woes, Tottenham made moves to sign a number of players in the latter stages of the January transfer window, although their only high-profile arrival was Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Spurs made a late £70m bid for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, which was knocked back by the Premier League side, while they have also held talks over a move for Lille striker Jonathan David, with the Canadian’s contract set to expire in the summer.

As such, it is clear Ange Postecoglou feels he needs to strengthen in a number of different positions if his side are to be more competitive in the Premier League next season, having massively underperformed in the ongoing campaign.

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Tottenham dealt Mathys Tel summer transfer blow after Man United claim

The Frenchman was one of Ange Postecoglou’s silver lining players on his debut against Liverpool.

According to a report from Football Insider, Postecoglou has picked out defensive midfield as the priority position to strengthen in the summer, and Tottenham are now planning to activate the £21m release clause in Johnny Cardoso’s Real Betis contract.

Spurs hold a major advantage over rival suitors, having secured a priority option to sign the midfielder when they agreed to sell Giovani Lo Celso to Real Betis.

Aston Villa are also interested in Cardoso, but the Lilywhites are seemingly leading the race for his signature due to the first-refusal option.

There is also a feeling a deal could be straightforward if the release clause is triggered in June, as agreeing personal terms with the highly rated 23-year-old is not expected to be an issue.

With Postecoglou keen on a defensive midfielder this summer, the Betis star could be the perfect addition to the squad given his performances for the Spanish side over the course of the past year.

The American has been flourishing from a defensive standpoint, ranking in the 98th percentile for interceptions per 90, the 95th percentile for clearances and the 86th percentile for aerials won when compared to his positional peers.

Such is the maestro’s ability, he has been lauded as “extraordinary” by Betis president Angelo Haro, and he has been a key player for the La Liga side this term, having started the last seven matches in the Spanish top flight.

Daniel Levy has received his fair share of criticism from Tottenham fans this season, but the agreement to include a priority option to sign Cardoso in the deal to sell Lo Celso could prove to be a masterstroke.