Tottenham Hotspur seriously face missing out on Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo as he is "very close" to joining AS Monaco, according to reports.
Who will Spurs sign this summer?
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy are chasing multiple senior centre-back signings, following a Premier League campaign which saw them leak 63 goals against.
No other side above 15th in the table conceded more than that last term, making defence a top priority for Tottenham as we head into the final stretch of this window.
The Lilywhites have been linked with many central defensive options in the last month, perhaps most notably Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen, Fulham's Adarabioyo, Barcelona ace Clement Lenglet, Galatasary's Victor Nelsson and Juventus defender Gleison Bremer.
Postecoglou, speaking to the media candidly in recent weeks, even confirmed that the signing of a new defender or two is something his new club are working on behind-the-scenes.
"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said the Spurs manager.
"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.
"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.
"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."
Whites defender Adarabioyo has been central to rumours linking him with a north London move in recent weeks, with reliable media sources like Alasdair Gold claiming Tottenham are expected to bid.
Gold also added that the former Man City starlet is keen on a move to Spurs, but according to Foot Mercato, he is actually nearing another club.
The French website, sharing a possible blow for Postecoglou in the race for Adarabioyo, state the 25-year-old is "very close" to joining Monaco as both them and Fulham near a full agreement for his transfer.
This comes after the Ligue 1 side quickly shook hands on personal terms with Adarabioyo, and while nothing is added beyond that, there appears to be a real danger of Tottenham being beaten to the punch.
How good is Tosin Adarabioyo?
The ex-Blackburn defender was one of Marco Silva's best-performers by average match rating last season, according to WhoScored, with no other Fulham player averaging more clearances per 90.
Called "magnificent" by members of the media over these last few seasons, Adarabioyo also won Fulham's second-highest rate of aerial duels per 90 in the top flight last term, just behind Aleksandar Mitrovic (WhoScored).
The towering 6 foot 5 defender has also been praised by Silva for his ability to break lines with his passing out from the back.
"And with Tosin, we know what we expect from him," said Silva to the media (via The Boot Room).
“Of course, quality on the ball in the first build-up, to find the players between the lines. Tosin had a good game and did what we expected.”
