According to reports from Mirror Football yesterday evening, Tottenham Hotspur are targeting Marseille midfielder Giannelli Imbula ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 22 year-old defensive-mid was in terrific form for L’OM this season, bagging two goals and two assists in 37 Ligue 1 appearances whilst averaging 2.4 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 3 successful dribbles per match.
Following a campaign in which Mauricio Pochettino has felt compelled to entrust two academy products – Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb – as his resident centre-mids, Tottenham’s engine room is expected to undergo a reshuffle ahead of next season, with the likes of Moussa Dembele, Paulino and Etienne Capoue likely to move on.
The north Londoners view Imbula as an ideal candidate to step in and are hoping the Stade Velodrome outfit’s interest in Benjamin Stambouli, who has managed just four Premier League starts since joining Spurs from Montpellier last summer, can lower the France U21’s £12million price-tag.
But the Lilywhites are by no means the only interested party. As This Is Futbol revealed last month, Premier League champions Chelsea are also keen on a summer deal for the former Ligue 2 Player of the Year, albeit at the lesser cost of £8.6million, whilst Arsenal and Manchester United are known long-term admirers.