Tottenham Hotspur's quest to sign a new centre-back in the summer for new boss Thomas Frank could see them once again look to Burnley star Maxime Esteve - with reports suggesting that they have opened talks to land the young centre-back after seeing a winter bid turned down.
The 'unbelievable' Frenchman, 23, was already looked at by Tottenham in the January transfer window, but Burnley turned down a late bid for their star as they pushed for Championship promotion, which they achieved with two games to spare under former Tottenham midfielder and current boss Scott Parker - breaking records in the second-tier, with Burnley only conceding 16 goals in the league to break an EFL record by almost half.
Report: Tottenham 'Open Talks' to Sign Burnley Star Maxime Esteve
The club are ready to improve their squad depth ahead of a Champions League campaign
However, a report on Tuesday eveningn by French outlet L'Equipe states that Tottenham and Burnley have now 'resumed' talks over a potential move that would see Esteve join the north London outfit.
With the Champions League on the horizon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they are back in the market to try and sign the defender, having resumed contact with the Clarets to reach an agreement after L'Equipe reported that their €24million (£20million) offer on January's transfer deadline day was turned down by Burnley chair Alan Pace.
The former Montpellier star could join alongside Mohammed Kudus of West Ham United, who they had a £50million bid rejected for on Saturday, though talks are expected to continue for the Ghanaian international.
Esteve joined Burnley in the second half of their Premier League campaign under Vincent Kompany back in January 2024. His arrival led to a marked improvement for the Clarets, losing just eight of their remaining 16 games in the top-flight - having suffered defeat in an astonishing 16 of their 22 games prior to his arrival from Ligue 1.
Esteve was also an ever-present for Burnley in their promotion campaign, starting every game as they secured an immediate return to the top-flight under Parker.
Tottenham have already got Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven as their starting centre-backs in north London, whilst Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin will act as back-ups - though rumours have seen Romero linked with a move away and that could see Esteve replace the Argentine in any case.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 08-07-25.