Tottenham Hotspur are "sounding out" Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic as a possible replacement for Harry Kane, a player they had plans to sign "last year".
Who will Spurs sign?
Spurs and new manager Ange Postecoglou are busy preparing for the 2023/2024 season behind-closed-doors, having already sealed deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon.
The trio join Dejan Kulusevski, who's put pen to paper on a permanent deal from Juve after 18 months on loan, and right-back Pedro Porro who's signed indefinitely from Sporting Lisbon.
Maddison, who signed from Leicester City for around £45 million, is a player who particularly excites Postecoglou – as the Australian explained in his most recent Spurs press conference.
“Really excited to get him as part of the group,” Postecoglou said on the England international.
“Any manager will tell you that part of the key to being a dominant team is having multiple attacking threats and having a midfielder who can score and create goals, they’re not easy to come by.
“I think he’s in a stage of his career where it feels like he can be a leader, which is great as well because we need players who want to embrace that responsibility within this group, whether it’s their first year in or they’ve been here for ages.
“We’re going to need leadership on the field and he feels like he can be a player who does that.”
While the north Londoners are thought to prioritising central defensive additions right now, leading to reports they're closing in on a deal for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, there are suggestions Tottenham could add more firepower after Maddison.
According to Football Transfers, Tottenham are even "sounding out" Serbia international forward Vlahovic as a potential replacement for Kane should he leave.
The latter star is attracting serious interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, and even though chairman Daniel Levy is reluctant to sell, there could be a decision to make given Kane is out-of-contract in just 12 months.
Vlahovic, as a result, is being targeted by Spurs with this FT report also claiming he is a player they "had plans" to sign "last year".
Juve are thought to be open to selling if they receive a suitable offer for their talisman, who finished last season as their top goalscorer in Serie A.
How good is Dusan Vlahovic?
The 23-year-old arguably didn't have his best campaign last term, scoring 10 goals in assisting two others in the Italian top flight, but he has previously shone.
Over the 2021/2022 season, Vlahovic bagged a brilliant 17 goals in just 21 Fiorentina starts before signing for Juventus – prolific numbers for such a young centre-forward.
His scintillating form for La Viola attracted praise from members of the media and pundts alike, with journalist Jack Gallagher calling Vlahovic a "perfect" front man.
Meanwhile, former Man City star Micah Richards called the £215,000-per-week star "lightning" in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I have watched him a couple of times now,” Richards said (via The Independent).
“He is lightning. It’s ridiculous. He has got 16 in 18 this season. His left foot is like a wand. I am telling you now, he is everything, he is everything you need.”