Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly still interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba, despite being close to sealing a deal for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven.
Spurs are believed to be on the verge of finalising a €50m (£43.3m) deal to bring Van de Ven to the club, and the Dutchman was in attendance for Sunday's friendly with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Van de Ven is expected to be formally announced as a Tottenham player next week after undergoing his medical, and he will pen a five-year deal with Ange Postecoglou's side.
The 22-year-old will become Spurs' second new centre-back ahead of the 2023-24 season, as the Lilywhites have also poached 18-year-old Ashley Phillips from Blackburn Rovers for a mere £2m.
However, the 2005-born youngster is unlikely to earn regular starts in his first season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and according to Football Insider, Postecoglou still wants another new defender in his ranks ahead of the new season.
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As a result, Tottenham are allegedly planning to intensify their efforts to bring Tapsoba to the club once Van de Ven's signing is completed, as the Burkina Faso international is ready to leave Leverkusen this summer.
Tapsoba made his breakthrough with Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes before transferring to Leverkusen in a €20.2m (£17.5m) deal in 2020, and he has scored five goals and set up two more in 137 matches for the German giants.
The 24-year-old ended the 2022-23 campaign with two goals and two assists to his name from 47 appearances, playing a crucial role in Leverkusen's run to the Europa League semi-finals.
However, Tapsoba apparently feels that now is the time to take the next step in his career, although Leverkusen could demand as much as £50m to let the defender leave in the coming weeks.
Xabi Alonso's side are under no pressure to sell on the cheap, as Tapsoba's contract does not expire until 2026, and a bidding war between several European clubs could also drive up the price.
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In order to fund a move for Tapsoba, Tottenham are expected to sanction several defensive exits, starting with the out-of-favour Davinson Sanchez.
The Colombian is believed to have turned down the chance to move to Spartak Moscow in a £12.9m deal, but he is also wanted by Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers and teams in Saudi Arabia.
Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga could also move on to pastures new, while Tottenham would be £86m richer if they accept Bayern Munich's third and likely final bid for star striker Harry Kane.
However, chairman Daniel Levy has ignored Bayern's pleas for a response by Saturday morning and is still refusing to sell Kane for less than £100m, despite the fact that he could go for free in 2024.
Tottenham have also brought in Manor Solomon, Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison this summer, as well as converting the loans of Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski into permanent deals.
Ben Knapton
