OPINION
Tottenham have set their sights on Nice centre-forward Alassane Plea as they readjust their transfer focus and it could be a masterstoke if they landed him this summer.
French site Foot Mercato claim Spurs have tabled an initial bid of £21.9million for the 25-year-old after hitting a major stumbling block in their attempts to sign Manchester United speed machine Anthony Martial.
Spurs are one of a number of Premier League clubs who regard Ligue 1 as a fertile breeding ground for top talent, with Liverpool another after recently attempting to follow up the signing of Fabinho from Monaco with the capture of Nabil Fekir from Lyon.
The French top tier is certainly all the rage as the English big spenders look to take advantage before a new TV deal kicks in that will provide the clubs across the channel with serious new financial resources.
Plea has developed considerably since joining Nice in 2014 and has just had the best season of his career, scoring 21 goals and supplying seven assists from 49 matches in all competitions.
Given that he was effectively playing second fiddle to 25-goal top scorer Mario Balotelli, that was a huge achievement from Plea and a seven-goal improvement on his 2016-17 haul.
Spurs are certainly in need of top-quality cover for main man Harry Kane as they prepare for a third consecutive Champions League campaign.
Both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Jansson have struggled to take on the deputy striker role, looking rusty and lumpen when the fleeting opportunities came their way.
Plea is a more versatile forward who can play anywhere across the front line and this is key to why Spurs have activated what Foot Mercato report is their plan B operation.
Nice will not cash in easily and the former France Under-21 international will be a tough player to sign but it would be a value signing if the Londoners can pull it off.