OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur face an interesting summer transfer window as Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy prepare to head into their new stadium, with a delicate balancing act on the cards.
The Lilywhites will obviously not have the big money that their rivals will no doubt possess with the massive funds required to build the new ground, but the club will still need to spend to stay competitive next season.
One area where they may look to strengthen is attacking midfield, with the club notably lacking a real alternative for Christian Eriksen in that position.
Some may argue that Erik Lamela is a good option there, which he no doubt is, but the Argentine is more of a natural wide man, and Spurs could do with a player more suited to playing down the middle.
One name that has been heavily linked with the club in recent months is Norwich City’s young star James Maddison, who will surely be on the move this summer after a scintillating season for the Canaries.
And the latest report suggests that Spurs have their work cut out to secure his signature this summer, with a Premier League rival inching into pole position for the 21-year-old.
As reported by The Sun, Leicester City are ready to splash out £17million for Maddison, with the Foxes eyeing up the magician as a replacement for Riyad Mahrez, who is likely to leave this summer.
The newspaper claim that Spurs are still firmly in the hunt for Maddison, as are Huddersfield, but Leicester are said to be confident they can secure a deal for the Norwich star.
The Sun report that Norwich are now likely to sell Maddison to the highest bidder this summer after a mediocre campaign which has seen them mired in mid-table in the Championship for the vast majority of the season.
And, if this latest report is true, then Tottenham need to move quickly and submit a bid for Maddison in the coming weeks.
If a bidding war does ensue, you would think that the Lilywhites would have the advantage over both Leicester and Huddersfield, and that could be the best move for Levy to make.
The young attacking midfielder would be a fantastic addition to the squad, being able to provide back-up for Eriksen, with the potential to succeed the Dane in the coming years.
He has the makings of Pochettino’s next big project, following in the footsteps of so many current Spurs players that have improved considerably under the Argentine.
A deal for Maddison would be a brilliant way to kick off an important summer for Spurs, and Levy must make the right movements soon to make this one happen.