Euro Paper Talk: Tottenham slay Barcelona in huge midfielder battle with elite second signing lined up; Man Utd target €10m Serie A striker

Tottenham are making plans to sign two classy midfielders to bolster Ange Postecoglou’s squad, Manchester United are surprisingly chasing a Lecce striker, while the truth has emerged over reports Liverpool are leading the Kylian Mbappe transfer chase.

SPURS SET TO SECURE SIGNING OF WILFRIED NDIDI

Tottenham are emerging as strong favourites to sign Wilfried Ndidi are have already got to work over a deal to win the race to sign the Leicester star.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has done wonders since taking charge in N17 but it is clear he still needs a bigger squad with a series of injuries and suspensions quickly exposing their lack of squad depth in recent matches.

As a result, Tottenham are expected to be extremely active in the January transfer window as the top-four hopefuls look to make a series of further additions to their squad.

Despite a lack of quality squad cover, Tottenham are expected to also say goodbye to midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who is pushing to leave the club.

And while Postecoglou would ideally like to keep the Dane, they are open to offers for his services if they can first secure a replacement.

That is where Ndidi comes into sharp focus.

The Nigerian surprisingly stayed at Leicester over the summer despite their relegation to the Championship.

But with his deal expiring at the end of the season, a lucrative move away appears to be on the cards in 2024. To that end, Barcelona have been strongly linked with his signature with the Blaugrana able to open talks on a free transfer swoop on January 1.

However, reports in Spain claim Tottenham are now expected to beat them to the punch, having already opened talks with Ndidi’s entourage over a swoop – and may even look to bring forward that move to January.

Leicester, for their part, would prefer to keep Ndidi until the end of the season to aid their promotion push. They currently lead the table with an eight-point buffer to third place. Ndidi has three goals and four assists from 15 appearances so far.

Tottenham also have transfer sights set on Bryan Cristante

If a deal for Ndidi has to wait until the summer, Spurs also have a contingency plan formulating in the form of Bryan Cristante.

The Italy midfielder was first linked with Spurs earlier this week amid claims Postecoglou had earmarked him as a replacement for Hojbjerg.

Now, according to Il Romanista, Spurs have received encouragement that a €30m (£26m) offer could be enough to convince Roma to sell. Jose Mourinho needs to raise funds to bolster his defence and the 28-year-old appears to be a possible sacrifice.

With Postecoglou set to lose both Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma for AFCON for up to a six-week period (the tournament is due to start on January 13) the need for squad additions has never been more vital to Spurs.

And with just Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur in reserve, Tottenham are well aware of their need to sign at least one new midfielder in January.

As a result, they will push to bring in Cristante for now, with Ndidi’s move more likely to go through in the summer.

DON’T MISS ~ Exclusive: Tottenham weigh up next move for exciting prospect who has impressed Postecoglou

MAN UTD KEEN TO SIGN LECCE STRIKER NIKOLA KRSTOVIC

Manchester United are hot on the trail of Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic, amid claims he can leave for a bargain €10m (£8.7m) in the January window. (Calciomercato)

Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie is reportedly on Real Madrid’s radar with the player viewed as a cheaper alternative to €70m-rated Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies. (Radio Marca)

Roma plan to sign one of Eric Dier, Trevoh Chalobah or Jakub Kiwior in the January window with Evan Ndicka heading to AFCON and fears growing over Chris Smalling’s fitness. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is keen to sign a new striker in January and could turn attention to VfB Stuttgart’s 27-year-old Guinea forward Serhou Guirassy, who is also wanted by West Ham and Tottenham. (various)

Liverpool are described as the ‘only suitors’ for Andre, despite recent denials and links to other sides, with Fluminense feeling the midfielder is now ‘lost’ to them. (Sport)

Real Madrid have moved ahead of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Man Utd and Barcelona in the race to sign Nico Williams amid claims he has told Athletic Bilbao he does not intend to sign a new deal. (AS)

Diego Simeone claims he will one day coach another team after hinting his new deal at Atletico Madrid to 2027 could be his last. The Argentine has previously been linked with Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham jobs. (Cadena Ser)

Exclusive: Borussia Dortmund have joined Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester City in expressing an interest in Archie Gray, though Leeds remain relaxed over his situation and plan to tie down the teenager to a new deal.

JULEN LOPETEGUI TARGETS PREM RETURN AMID MAN UTD LINKS

Former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui has snubbed the chance to take charge at Al Ittihad and is instead holding out for a return to the Premier League amid links to Manchester United. (AS)

Real Madrid have learned they could have to pay as much as €18m (£15.7m) if they want to appoint Xavi Alonso as their new manager due to a clause in his Bayer Leverkusen contract. (SDZ)

Las Palmas starlet Alberto Moleiro has made clear his wish to one day sign for Barcelona, admitting he is a huge fan of the Blaugrana. (various)

Real Betis are to reward Isco with a contract extension as a reward for his fine form and to ward off possible interest from Premier League clubs. (Marca)

AC Milan are bracing themselves for a fresh approach from Fenerbahce for Bosnian midielder Rade Krunic, having rejected a €7m bid over the summer. (Calciomercato)

Barcelona have stuck a €70m (£60.9m) price tag on Raphinha amid claims they want to offload the winger next summer. (various)

Bayern Munich have branded reports as ‘fake’ that contract talks with Liverpool target Leroy Sane have broken down, having underlined their determination to keep the winger. (SportBILD)

TRUTH EMERGES OVER LIVERPOOL LINKS TO KYLIAN MBAPPE

Liverpool have no intentions at this stage of meeting the €100m (£87.5m) signing on bonus needed to sign Kylian Mbappe next summer, while his annual €35m wages (£575,000 a week) is also too costly for them. (L’Equipe)

Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche insists he has no plans to leave the Bundesliga club despite links to positions at both Liverpool and Tottenham. (BILD)

Aston Villa and Everton are ready to rival Tottenham in the chase to sign Samuel Iling-Junior, amid claims Juventus are willing to sell the English winger. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Barcelona will make the signing of Joao Felix on a permanent basis from Atletico Madrid their No 1 priority in 2024. (Sport)

Sweden midfielder Emil Forsberg has agreed a move to join New York Red Bulls from RB Leipzig in January. (Fabrizio Romano)

Joselu Mato has made clear he’s loving life at Real Madrid and would love to stay another year after only signing on loan from Espanyol. (El Partidazo de COPE)

A clause in Harry Kane’s contract entitles him to a €250,000 bonus if he scores 40 goals for Bayern Munich this season. The England striker already has 21 goals from 16 appearances to his name. (SportBILD)

Exclusive: Atletico Madrid, PSG and Inter Milan are among the suitors for Anthony Martial following confirmation he can leave Manchester United in the January transfer window.